ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Let me begin by expressing my gratitude to all those unknown people who over the years have contributed to the preservation of a rich trove of historic information pertaining to the New Orleans Mardi Gras. I am especially indebted to the skilled librarians at the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library of Tulane University and at the Williams Research Center of The Historic New Orleans Collection for their enthusiastic contributions to all aspects of my extended research; to The Historical Novel Society, for resource guides on food and weather research; and to Graham Greer, Reference Librarian of the Newberry Library in Chicago for valuable information on the Illinois Central Railroad.
As always I am deeply grateful to Jotham Burello and the faculty and writers of the Yale Writers Workshop for their wise and encouraging support, especially to Kirsten Bakis and Lisa Page. I will always owe a special thanks to Jotham Burello for creating the opportunity for me to meet my outstanding agent, Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media Group. It is because of a simple exchange with Mark that this novel exists as is. In answer to the question, “What next?” I proposed a deep psychological study. When Mark replied, “Sounds like a historical mystery,” the sparks were lit for this remarkable adventure into the past. And to my editor, John Scognimiglio, of Kensington Publishing Corporation, for his unfailing kindness and respect for all that I wished to accomplish with this novel. It has been such a pleasure to work with someone who understood the complexities of character I wished to convey and directed his editorial guidance toward fulfilling that goal. I am indebted to Rosemary Silva for her meticulous copyediting of this manuscript and to the graphic designers at Kensington for their stunning cover design; to Vida Engstrand, for her unflagging support and expertise in publicity; and to all the unnamed staff of Kensington Publishing who have worked to bring this book before the reading public.
To my dear friend, Dian Winingder, who introduced me to the city of New Orleans and to the culture of the all-female krewe of Iris, including a memorable ride on her float for Mardi Gras, I am more grateful than I know how to express. I am appreciative also for her keen eye in reading the manuscript and advising me of New Orleans details, from mapping street layouts to instruction on the rituals of Mardi Gras balls. It was Dian who introduced me to Henri Schindler, renown Mardi Gras historian, whose expert guidance and authoritative contribution of visual imagery rounded out my descriptive sense of this historic time and place. Numerous other New Orleans friends, who will recognize themselves without naming, have offered knowledgeable guidance in my research of New Orleans culture and the historic development of Mardi Gras.
I am indebted to friends and family for multiple skills needed in writing this book: to Jody Franco and Maxine Suzman for their generosity in sharing with me their skills in bead embroidery; to Bernice Cox and Mary Margaret Cox for their skill and patience in teaching me to sew, beginning at a very young age on old treadle machines, and to them both for teaching me the fine art of embroidery; to my grandmother, Addie Nelson Dunlap, for the early experiences of sitting at her hearth, working with her as she stitched magical quilts on her quilting frame; and to my father who repaired my mechanical disasters and taught me to drive his old Model T Ford. I am immensely grateful to have had the experience of an overnight train ride from Memphis to Chicago and to my friend, Edna Bacon, for our shared love of the “Windy City.” Sandra Fenstermacher, I am not only deeply indebted to you for your dear, steady company, but also most appreciative of your keen eye for birthmarks.
Many thanks to Dr. E. J. Tarbox for meticulous reading of the manuscript with a keen eye for detail and his love of history and research; to Tom Parker, though he doesn’t know me, for preserving a very fragile copy of a 1906 Illinois Central Railway Guide and making its treasure of information public; to all those unnamed who made access possible to invaluable information and images from the historic American Railroad Journal. And to Deborah Lieberman, for her expert guidance through this writing process and her constant admonition to “keep it on the page.”
Finally I am forever grateful to my family: my husband, Ray, who has supported me and believed in my efforts, and to my children, Brad McPhail, and Melissa Williamson, without whose incisive wisdom this book would not exist.
Please turn the page for a very special Q&A with Diane McPhail!
1) Q: So much of your debut novel, THE ABOLITIONIST’S DAUGHTER, was based on actual historical characters and events. Is the same true for THE SEAMSTRESS OF NEW ORLEANS?
A: All historical fiction is anchored in history, but not necessarily on actual people and incidents of a given time. Unlike THE ABOLITIONIST’S DAUGHTER, this novel is grounded in general historical context and events, but specific characters and events of the plot are fictionalized. New Orleans in 1900 was the setting of a grand ball put on by Les Mysterieuses, the second all-female krewe of Mardi Gras. Women who aspired to greater freedom and control, pre-Suffragettes if you will, took advantage of the 1900 Leap Year to stage this grand event. In fact, since the year could not be divided by 400, it was not an actual Leap Year. However, the first ball had been in 1896 and the ladies proceeded four years later as if it were a Leap Year.
2) Q: The Black Hand and Storyville play such a part in this novel. How much of those two aspects of organized crime are based on history?
A: The Black Hand and Storyville played an integral part in New Orleans history. Storyville, established by municipal ordinance and named for alderman, Sydney Storey, who wrote the guidelines, was the district of regulated prostitution in the city from 1897 to 1917. Prior to such regulation a family might wake up one morning to find a brothel ensconced next door. Storyville conscribed one strictly defined section of the city, a sanctioned red-light district, thereby confining the approved illegalities and protecting property and culture in the wider areas. The Black Hand, or New Orleans Mafia, was an organization of Italian gangsters engaged in the extortion racket. They were known for threatening messages demanding delivery of money, signed with a warning hand imprinted in heavy black ink.
3) Q: The Poydras Asylum for Girls plays a vital role in the book on several levels. What were the orphanages in the city like and why were there so many of them?
A: New Orleans was a center of various epidemics—yellow fever, primarily, as well as cholera and typhoid—that regularly left large numbers of children orphaned, or half-orphaned, in the terminology used to indicate a child with only one living parent. Because such parents often were unable to care for their children, the orphanages provided shelter and education. The city was full of such institutions of all denominations and color, and were the recipients of dedicated support from New Orleans citizens. In general, children of younger ages, especially siblings, might be housed and schooled together, but as they moved toward adolescence, were always separated by gender. Focus was generally on religion and trade skills.