Here is the completed new Maison Blanche building, as seen from a building across Canal Street and around the middle of the next block. These two photos from the postcard publisher's archive, apparently taken just minutes apart, are sufficiently detailed to focus on some of the other features of the pictures.
The first closeup is of the streetcar at the lower left of the second photo. We see “Palace” car 0113 signed for the Prytania line on the riverbound inner track. The view is a bit foreshortened, making the long car look shorter than it really is. Just beyond car 0113 is a glimpse of a trailer for the West End trains, laying over on the center track.
The next closeup is of the streetcar at the lower right of the top photo. It is marked N. O. & C. R. R. CO. (New Orleans & Carrollton R. R. Co.), which makes it a standard gauge car. It is running on dual gauge track. The wide gauge right-hand rail can be seen to turn right into Dauphine Street for the Orleans RR lines. The standard gauge left-hand turn into Baronne Street is for the St. Charles Belt cars, and the standard gauge track straight ahead is for Tulane Belt and N. Claiborne cars. At this time, the outer lakebound wide gauge track did not continue past this point. The streetcar, number 196, is from the 70-car 1899 order of FB&D cars from American Car Co., numbers 160-229. Since it appears to be going straight, it must be on the Tulane Belt or N. Claiborne line, but its route sign is not readable.
The other two closeup views, visible in both of the photos, show us some interesting signs on the stores next to the streetcar. At the right, at 835 Canal St., we see “Buffalo Dental Parlors” on the edge of the marquee, and below that what appears to be a painted canvas advertising “Schaumburg's Restaurant and Confectionary”, with advertising of featured treats at right and left (an interesting juxtaposition). To our left is a long, narrow sign which gives us the date of the pictures. It describes a big sale “commencing Wednesday March 16”. March 16 was a Wednesday in 1904, 1910, and then not until 1921. 1904 is too early; the new Maison Blanche was not even started in 1904. 1921 is too late considering the other features of the photos. Thus, they are clearly dated 1910, or less likely late 1909. — Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection
