Olidé P. Schexnayder

American, 1871–1944

Schexnayder was of German descent, born in the rural community of Edgard, Louisiana. He began making photographs in the early 1890s and offered "Crayon, oil, India ink, water color and fine pastel." Many of his photographs feature family members and document details of rural life—a doctor's housecall, his mother with a holiday turkey, school children and babies, pets, and family picnics. Schexnayder also photographed African Americans in the community. He married Martha Alice Vial (1881–1950) in 1905, and the couple moved to Lone Star Plantation in Luling. Soon after this, Schexnayder abandoned a photographic career and became an optician.

Studio Portrait of a Man Leaning on a Chair
Olidé P. Schexnayder, c. 1895–1905
Glass plate negative
Louisiana State Museum 1998.001.16.096

Two Men in Front of a Wall
Olidé P. Schexnayder, c. 1895–1905
Glass plate negative
Louisiana State Museum 1998.001.16.021

Aimee Becnel Schexnayder with a Turkey
Olidé P. Schexnayder, c. 1895–1905
Glass plate negative
Louisiana State Museum 1998.001.16.038

Aimee Becnel Schexnayder
Olidé P. Schexnayder, c. 1895–1905
Glass plate negative
Louisiana State Museum 1998.001.16.065

Group of Children on a Front Porch in St. John the Baptist Parish
Olidé P. Schexnayder, c. 1895–1905
Glass plate negative
Louisiana State Museum 1998.001.16.054

Studio Portrait of a Man with a Bicycle
Olidé P. Schexnayder, c. 1895–1905
Glass plate negative
Louisiana State Museum 1998.001.16.055

Bicycling was popular in Louisiana by the end of the nineteenth century. On October 19, 1890, the New Orleans Cycling Club sponsored races on St. Charles Avenue. R. G. Betts won the 100-mile race in 7 hours and 18 ½ minutes—or each mile in 6.5 minutes. Top cyclists today can cover the same distance in less than half the time.

Arnaud Schexnayder and an Unidentified Woman
Olidé P. Schexnayder, c. 1895–1905
Glass plate negative
Louisiana State Museum 1998.001.16.069

Studio Portrait of an Unidentified Young Girl Seated in a Wicker Chair
Olidé P. Schexnayder, c. 1895–1905
Glass plate negative
Louisiana State Museum 1998.001.16.085

Studio Portrait of Three Unidentified Young Women
Olidé P. Schexnayder, c. 1895–1905
Glass plate negative
Louisiana State Museum 1998.001.16.123

Plantation Worker's Daughter on First Communion Day
Olidé P. Schexnayder, c. 1895–1905
Glass plate negative
Louisiana State Museum 1998.001.16.019

O.P. Schnexnayder with Two Unidentified Girls
Olidé P. Schexnayder, c. 1895–1905
Glass plate negative
Louisiana State Museum 1998.001.16.010

Family Picnic
Olidé P. Schexnayder, c. 1900
Glass plate negative
Louisiana State Museum 1998.001.16.033

Edgard Residents Viewing Ice in the Mississippi River
Olidé P. Schexnayder, 1899
Glass plate negative
Louisiana State Museum 1998.001.16.036

February 13, 1899, was the coldest day on record in Louisiana. In Minden, temperatures dipped to -16 degrees. Ice clogged the Mississippi River for two weeks, interrupting shipping and providing a spectacle for residents.

Lone Star Plantation Blacksmith and Wheelwright Plantation Workshop
Olidé P. Schexnayder, c. 1905–1907
Glass plate negative
Louisiana State Museum 1998.001.16.037

Schexnayder moved to the plantation in Luling after his marriage in 1905. He took few photographs after this–suggesting that this may be one of his last images.

Select Photographers from the Visual Arts Collection