Marie Adrien Persac (1823–1873) was a French-born American fine art painter,
cartographer
Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...
, photographer, and art teacher. Persac watercolored south Louisiana plantation houses and other aspects of the Southern landscape, and his work has much importance to
Southern
Southern may refer to:
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historians. His work was often signed, A. Persac''.''
Early life
Marie Adrien Persac was born December 14, 1823 in
Saumur
Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.
The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur statio ...
, France to Pierre Edouard Persac and Pauline Sophie Marie Falloux.
However the family perpetuated rumors of being from
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
and it's possible he lived there briefly after leaving home.
Between 1842 and 1850, he went to the United States. His educational background is unknown.
On December 8, 1851, he married Marie Odile Daigre, the daughter of a farmer in
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...
and initially lived with her family in
Manchac
Manchac (also known as Akers) is an unincorporated community in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States.
Etymology
Dr. John R. Swanton, a linguist who worked with Native American languages, suggested that the name Manchac is derived from '' ...
, Louisiana. Together they had three sons.
Career
In 1856, Persac along with William G. Vail opened a daguerreotype photography studio on Florida Street in Baton Rouge.
The daguerreotype photography studio did not last long, and Persac went on to work as an artist and lithographer for the press Pessou and Simon.
While working at the press he published
Benjamin Moore Norman's 1858 lithograph ''Norman's Chart of the Lower Mississippi River'', to which he added several illustrations.
In 1859 he moved to
and he remained in the south during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
(1861–1865).
While in New Orleans he completed 43 property drawings between 1859 and 1869, and 21 drawings were collaborations with civil engineer Eugene Surgi (1826–1914) and they are used by the New Orleans Notarial Archives and Research Center.
In 1865 he opened a photography studio in New Orleans with a photographer named Legras.
Within a year the photography studio was his own and was relocated to 130 Chartres Street.
By 1867, his listed his profession in the New Orleans city directory as architect and moved his studio to 83 Exchange Place.
Later his profession was listed in the city directory as artist, and by 1873 engineer.
In 1869, he founded a drawing and painting school, where he taught portrait and landscape painting in oil and watercolor.
He died on July 21, 1873 in Manchac, Louisiana at the Daigre family house and he is buried at Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Baton Rouge.
Persac's work is included in various public museum collections including
Louisiana State Museum
The Louisiana State Museum (LSM), founded in New Orleans in 1906, is a statewide system of National Historic Landmarks and modern structures across Louisiana, housing thousands of artifacts and works of art reflecting Louisiana's legacy of historic ...
,
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...
Museum of Art, among others.
Images by Persac
References
Further reading
*
External links
Marie Adrien Persacon Artnet.com
*
{{Authority control
1823 births
1873 deaths
People from Saumur
People from Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana
American people of French descent
Artists from New Orleans