| Holmes interior, ca. 1900; photo at top of page was taken in mid-1960's; the sketch directly under it was done in 1873. |
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| "I'll meet you under the clock" |
| D. H. Holmes first opened the doors to its Canal Street store in 1842. From that time forward, for many generations of New Orleanians, it became a favorite place to shop; its restaurant, a favorite place to have lunch; its Christmas display a must-see during the holidays...and the clock which hung over its entrance, a favorite place for friends to arrange a meeting. All you had to say was"I'll meet you under the clock" and everyone knew what you meant! When the store closed in 1989, it was like saying goodbye to an old family friend. |
| Holmes, decorated for Mardi Gras, 1906 |
| Some of Holmes' cashiers, 1913 |
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| D. H. Holmes Restaurant, bet. 1900-1910 |
| D. H. Holmes Co., Ltd. Store Canal, Bourbon, Dauphine and Iberville December 1, 1913 Mrs. Martha D. Gould, Factories Inspector My dear Mrs. Gould: We have your letter of November 24, requesting an expression on the Child Labor Law, and its enforcement, and how we feel about it. We begged to advise that it has in no way worked a hardship on us, as we have always entertained the opinion that a child of fourteen years of age cannot deliver efficient service. We would be glad, almost, to see the law raised from fourteen to sixteen years of age, as a boy or girl of sixteen years is a great deal more efficient than a child of fourteen, provided those years have been put to advantage in school. In all of our history, which extends back a number of years, this store has never employed children of under fourteen years of age, except when some valued customer, in a guise of a charitable request has asked us to put some younger child to work. With a law in effect, we are in a position to decline all such misguided charities. We are heartily in favor of the law and find that its enforcement tends to give us a more efficient class of people than we could possibly get without such a law. Very truly yours, D. H. Holmes Co., Ltd. |
| Interior of D. H. Holmes, Christmas, 1930 |
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| The store promoting War Bonds during World War II. |
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| D. H. Holmes Department Store |
| Since 1993, the old Holmes building on Canal Street has housed the Chateau Sonesta Hotel. But once in awhile, when you pass by the front windows, out of the corner of your eye, you may fancy that you catch a glimpse of a thousand twinkling lights--but when you look back, there's nothing there. Your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. It's the lights of long ago...magical images of scores of holiday window displays, being forever reflected in the wonder of yesterday's children's eyes. |
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