, more than 100 prints
donated to the Library in 1961 by Charles L. Franck's daughter, Mrs. John F. Hoffman.
In 1905, Charles L. Franck opened a photograhic studio in New Orleans; he continued to operate the studio
until his retirement 1946, when it was taken over by his daughter, Mrs. Hoffman. In the late 1970's
the name of the company changed to Franck-Bertacci Photographers, the name under which it continues to
operate today. The Franck company specialized in architectural, industrial, and illustrative photos and,
according to their advertising, "accident claim and legal work, real estate, contruction, aerial, color, offshore,
anything, anywhere, anytime."
Since Franck was a commercial company, which took photographs primarily to meet the practical needs of
the
business and legal community, the collection of photographs that bears his company's name does not focus,
for the most part, on
"tourist shots" of landmark architecture or picturesque scenes of the city. Instead, the Franck photographs
often show the "everyday" city, including not only its glories but also its ordinary life and, sometimes, its
problems.
The Historic New Orleans Collection owns the rights to the Charles L. Franck company's negatives and
prints. Inquiries about reproduction of Franck photographs should be directed to that
institution.
