Background
John Ernest Bellocq was born in 1873 in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
(Many of the negatives were badly damaged, in part deliber...)
Many of the negatives were badly damaged, in part deliberately, which encouraged speculation. Many of the faces had been scraped out; whether this was done by Bellocq, his Jesuit priest brother who inherited them after E. J.'s death or someone else is unknown. Bellocq is the most likely candidate, since the damage was done while the emulsion was still wet.
John Ernest Bellocq was born in 1873 in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
In his early days, John Ernest Bellocq had been something of a dandy.
John Ernest Bellocq became known locally as an amateur photographer before setting himself up as a professional, making his living mostly by taking photographic records of landmarks and of ships and machinery for local companies. However, he also took personal photographs of the hidden side of local life, notably the opium dens in Chinatown and the prostitutes of Storyville. These were only known to a small number of his acquaintances.
John Ernest Bellocq died in 1949, and was buried in Saint Louis Cemetery #3 in New Orleans.
Many of the negatives were badly damaged, in part deliberately, which encouraged speculation. Many of the faces had been scraped out; whether this was done by Bellocq, his Jesuit priest brother who inherited them after E. J.'s death or someone else is unknown. Bellocq is the most likely candidate, since the damage was done while the emulsion was still wet.
(Many of the negatives were badly damaged, in part deliber...)
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In the latter part of his life, John Ernest Bellocq lived alone and acquired a reputation for eccentricity and unfriendliness. According to acquaintances from that period, he showed little interest in anything other than photography.