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New Orleans celebrates life—and death—with a spirit found nowhere else in the United States. Here, mourning and memory take on a vivid, almost theatrical beauty.
The city’s cemeteries, with their iconic above-ground tombs and diverse cultural influences, are more than burial grounds—they are chronicles of history, art, and resilience.
Each cemetery tells a story. From the grand marble vaults of Metairie to the vine-covered tombs of Lafayette in the Garden District, these sacred spaces pulse with memory and myth, echoing the lives of those who built the Crescent City. They are not just resting places, but symbols deeply woven into the city’s folklore and tradition.
New Orleans’ funerary landscape—with its rich burial customs, striking funerary art, and enduring preservation efforts—reveals a city that doesn’t just honor its dead, but celebrates them, reflecting the indomitable spirit that defines the Crescent City.
Photographer JR Pepper, lecturer and cemetery tour guide, brings her deep knowledge of mourning traditions and visual storytelling as she uncovers the hidden beauty and enduring significance of New Orleans’ most hauntingly beautiful spaces.
JR Pepper is a Brooklyn-born photographer, lecturer, and professional eccentric with an MA in art history. Pepper is recognized for her work in spirit photography which has been featured on Vice.com, Musee Magazine, and Haunted America FAQ. With over twenty years in photography and retouching, she has worked on projects for a variety of archives and museums, including the Burns Archive. She is an adjunct professor at Brooklyn College, lectures with the Brooklyn Brainery and the Dead Ladies Show, and is a tour guide at Green-Wood Cemetery.
