Mother St. Croix: Ursuline Nun and Pioneering Photographer in Late 19th-Century New Orleans
Presentation Type
Event
Start Date
8-3-2026 8:36 PM
Description
Mother St. Croix, a sister of the Order of Saint Ursula from 1873 to 1940, moved to New Orleans from France at the age of 19. For the next 50 years, she dedicated her life to photographing the Ursuline Academy, the oldest continuously operating school for girls in the United States, as well as the Ursuline Convent where she lived. Although she is among the earliest female photographers in America, Mother St. Croix remains relatively unknown. Standing barely five feet tall and dressed in a habit, she used large-format view cameras and glass plates ranging from 6" x 8" to 14" x 17" to capture life within her cloistered community and beyond. Her subject matter included the extensive campus, once a plantation next to the Mississippi River, the intimidating exteriors and intimate interiors of its buildings, carefully arranged scenes of students' daily lives, and formal portraits of nuns, priests, and the religious statue Our Lady of Prompt Succor. She also documented religious events in New Orleans and the construction of a new convent, often from the top of partially built structures. Mother St. Croix’s photographs are not only a fascinating visual record of a rarely seen female-centered environment, but they are also historically significant as documentation of a place and time that no longer exists. In 1912, the city relocated the nuns and demolished the campus to make way for the construction of the Industrial Canal. Although she continued to photograph after the move, most of her work was produced between 1874 and 1912. Mother St. Croix’s meticulous eye for composition, masterful technical skills, and adventurous spirit produced images that transcend mere documentation. This paper aims to raise her profile and contribute to the growing recognition of pioneering female photographers of her era.
Amber Shields Johnson is an artist and cultural heritage photographer. She earned an MFA from San Jose State University in California, and a BA in Photojournalism from Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana. She resides in New Orleans where she works as a photographer for the Historical New Orleans Collection.
Relational Format
Conference proceeding
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Amber Shields, "Mother St. Croix: Ursuline Nun and Pioneering Photographer in Late 19th-Century New Orleans" (2026). Women of Photography: A 24-Hour Conference-a-thon Celebrating International Women’s Day. 49.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/womenofphotography/2026/schedule/49
Mother St. Croix: Ursuline Nun and Pioneering Photographer in Late 19th-Century New Orleans
Mother St. Croix, a sister of the Order of Saint Ursula from 1873 to 1940, moved to New Orleans from France at the age of 19. For the next 50 years, she dedicated her life to photographing the Ursuline Academy, the oldest continuously operating school for girls in the United States, as well as the Ursuline Convent where she lived. Although she is among the earliest female photographers in America, Mother St. Croix remains relatively unknown. Standing barely five feet tall and dressed in a habit, she used large-format view cameras and glass plates ranging from 6" x 8" to 14" x 17" to capture life within her cloistered community and beyond. Her subject matter included the extensive campus, once a plantation next to the Mississippi River, the intimidating exteriors and intimate interiors of its buildings, carefully arranged scenes of students' daily lives, and formal portraits of nuns, priests, and the religious statue Our Lady of Prompt Succor. She also documented religious events in New Orleans and the construction of a new convent, often from the top of partially built structures. Mother St. Croix’s photographs are not only a fascinating visual record of a rarely seen female-centered environment, but they are also historically significant as documentation of a place and time that no longer exists. In 1912, the city relocated the nuns and demolished the campus to make way for the construction of the Industrial Canal. Although she continued to photograph after the move, most of her work was produced between 1874 and 1912. Mother St. Croix’s meticulous eye for composition, masterful technical skills, and adventurous spirit produced images that transcend mere documentation. This paper aims to raise her profile and contribute to the growing recognition of pioneering female photographers of her era.
Amber Shields Johnson is an artist and cultural heritage photographer. She earned an MFA from San Jose State University in California, and a BA in Photojournalism from Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana. She resides in New Orleans where she works as a photographer for the Historical New Orleans Collection.