Across from Colosseum Park, sitting behind a wrought-iron fence and featuring Greek Ionic columns on the lower floor and Corinthian columns on the second floor, sits one of my favorite houses in New Orleans. This was home to Grace King who lived here from 1905 to 1932. It was built in 1847 by banker Frederick Rodewald and is still beautiful and stately today.
But who was Grace King?
Grace King: A Voice of New Orleans
Grace King (1852–1932) was a well-known writer and historian from New Orleans. Her stories and historical works focused on Louisiana and its people, particularly Creole society. She wrote in many genres, including short stories, novels, memoirs, and historical studies. Her work was published in major magazines like Harper’s and The Yale Review. Much of her fiction explored the lives of women affected by the Civil War, while her historical writings focused on the settlement of Louisiana and the history of New Orleans. However, she viewed Creole identity narrowly, often excluding Creoles of Color. Through her work, King captured the racial and social complexities of her time.
Early Life and Education
Grace King was born on November 29, 1852, to a prominent New Orleans family. Her father, William Woodson King, was a lawyer. When the Civil War broke out, New Orleans fell under Union control, forcing the King family to flee to their plantation. During this time, Grace was educated at home by her parents and grandmother. After the war, the family lost most of its wealth but remained socially respected.
Although the Kings were neither Creole nor Catholic, Grace attended Catholic convent schools in New Orleans. She became fluent in French and familiar with Creole traditions. She later studied at the Institut St. Louis, the Sylvester-Larned Institute, and the Institut Cénas, all schools for girls in New Orleans.
Grace King’s Fiction
King’s writing career began in 1884 when Richard Watson Gilder, editor of Century magazine, encouraged her to write. He wanted her to counter the negative portrayal of Creole slave owners by fellow New Orleans writer George Washington Cable. In response, she wrote Monsieur Motte (1888), a novel about a freed mixed-race slave who remains loyal to her former owner’s daughter. Like many white Southern women of her time, King defended the Old South and its traditions.
Her short stories appeared in well-known magazines and were later collected in Tales of a Time and Place (1892) and Balcony Stories (1893). Many of these stories focused on women’s lives, touching on themes such as education, marriage, motherhood, and work. She credited her mother’s storytelling on their balcony as a major inspiration. King often wrote about the struggles of both Black and white women in the post-Civil War South.
Her second novel, The Pleasant Ways of St. Médard (1916), followed two struggling families—one Black and one white—during Reconstruction in New Orleans. It reflected her own family’s experience of fleeing the city during the war. King’s final novel, La Dame de Sainte Hermine (1924), was a historical romance about the young French women, known as “casket girls,” sent to Louisiana to help populate the colony.
King’s Historical Works
While King’s fiction explored contemporary Louisiana, her historical writing focused on colonial Louisiana. She was influenced by historian Charles Gayarré and wrote several historical works, including A History of Louisiana(for schools), New Orleans: The Place and the People (1895), and Creole Families of New Orleans (1921). She also wrote a biography of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the founder of New Orleans.
King had a unique approach to history, often focusing on personal stories rather than just historical events. She believed that history could be found in small details, such as old furniture, jewelry, and clothing, as much as in official documents. Her historical works often highlighted women’s roles, including the Ursuline nuns and Reconstruction-era educators like Heloise Cénas.
Legacy
Grace King passed away on January 14, 1932. Shortly after her death, her memoir, Memories of a Southern Woman of Letters, was published. In it, she reflected on how historical events shaped her life. Through both fiction and history, King documented a changing Southern society and gave a voice to post–Civil War New Orleans. While her perspective was shaped by her time and background, her work remains an important part of Louisiana’s literary and historical heritage.