These four pictures show Desire streetcars at Canal Street.  The top three pictures were all taken June 10, 1947.  The first picture features Brill-built car 885 on Royal Street, about to enter Canal Street.  The car will follow the track in the foreground, turning into the outer lakebound track, and will proceed one block to Bourbon Street.  Royal Street is flanked by the Royal Jewelry on the left and National Shirt Shops on the right.  The panel delivery truck in the right foreground is a 1936 Willys.  The smoke cloud suggests that its engine must have been near the end of its life.  The second picture shows the trailing end of Perley Thomas-built car 898 at its stop on the Canal Street outer lakebound track at Bourbon Street.  Passengers are heading toward its open rear door to board.  The car will then turn right into Bourbon Street to begin its downbound (outbound) trip to Desire Street.  We know it is summertime, even if we did not have the date for the photo, as evidenced by the white suit on the gentleman at the left, and the lightweight and light colored clothes on all the people.  Note the business signs: Keller-Zander and Godchaux's at the left (the uptown side of Canal Street), and D. H. Holmes and Maison Maurice prominent on the right (the downtown side).  The third picture shows Desire car 893 (another Brill product) on the outer track, and Tulane car 416 (from the Southern Car Co.) on the inner track, at Bourbon Street.  The bottom picture shows Brill-built car 819 leaving the Canal Street terminal, turning from the outer Canal St. track into Bourbon St. to head downtown.  This may be a special car; note the crowd aboard, and what appears to be an organization's banner in the right front window.  The sign above the right front window, where a destination might be shown, reads “Exhibition”, but the significance of that is unknown.  Ordinary Desire cars would have shown a blank space in this sign window except for displaying “Car House” when heading to the station.  Notice also that the light pole next to the streetcar has been decorated, probably for Mardi Gras.  It is surmised that the car is carrying Mardi Gras partiers, who may have been playing with the roll sign. — Fred Victor DuBrutz photos (top three)