Louis Lucien Pessou
American printmaker (1824–1886)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Louis Lucien Pessou (May 14, 1824 – December 18, 1886) was an American lithographer, and "free man of color" in New Orleans, Louisiana.[1][2] He co-owned the press Pessou & Simon (1853–1867), and Pessou & Krauss (1868).
Louis Lucien Pessou | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 14, 1824 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | December 18, 1886 (aged 62) Orleans Parish, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupations | Lithographer, press owner |
| Spouse | Amelie "Amelia" Henriette Colin (m. 1865) |
| Children | 2 |
Life and career
Louis Lucien Pessou was born May 14, 1824, in New Orleans, Louisiana.[3][4][5] His parents Maria Magdalene Hernandez and Joseph Alphonse "Antoine" Pessou were free Saint-Domingue Creoles, who had immigrated from Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) during the St. Domingue Revolution.[3][4][5] His father was a gunsmith.[3]
Pessou was married to Amelie "Amelia" Henriette Colin in 1865.[6] Together they had two children.
He co-owned the lithography printing press Pessou & Simon (1853–1867), with German immigrant Benedict Simon; and Pessou & Krauss (1868), with German immigrant William Krauss.[3][7][8] Pessou & Simon were the first in the city to develop color lithography, which was used for maps, architectural plans, book illustrations, city views, and business papers.[4]
In 1868, Pessou was named the Orleans Parish recorder of births and deaths, and later marriages too.[3]
Pessou died on December 18, 1886, in Orleans Parish, Louisiana.
