About Fonville

Theodore Fonville Winans

…was an internationally renowned photographer whose remarkable black and white images captured the soul of Louisiana in the early twentieth century. His iconic photographs tell the story of the unique people, places, and customs of Louisiana’s rich and distinct culture. Fonville was considered a photographic genius with an eye for authenticity. His work grants viewers a window into the many fascinating aspects of Louisiana’s diverse culture. His acclaimed photos of early Creole and Cajun societies, exotic swamps, landscapes, and seascapes show the many fascinating aspects of the Pelican state.

Fonville’s memorable photographs of the Feliciana hunting trials, Grand Isle fishing rodeos, festival revelers, politicians, New Orleans landmarks, LSU, and ordinary citizens serve as an important documentation of Louisiana’s history.  No other photographer captured the people and places of South Louisiana better than Fonville. Fonville’s enduring visual testimony of Louisiana’s culture has made him a revered figure and a true Louisiana legend. His work has been described as having a sense of purity, not contrived or deliberate, but taken as a simple record and testament to the time and place he loved……Louisiana.

” I didn’t take any of these pictures deliberately. I just took them for fun. None was on assignment. I wasn’t a freelancer. I just took my camera and got pictures when I saw something interesting. “

Fonville enjoyed working in the darkroom because it afforded him the opportunity to have input on the creativity side of the photographic process. He did not care for color photography, at least in part because he could not print the negatives himself.

” I don’t have much enthusiasm for color, because I have such complete control in black and white. If you do color work, you’re at the mercy of the lab, and they grind it out. “