Uptown Shotgun

The earliest known examples of Shotgun type houses in New Orleans date at least to the 1830s. Shotgun houses bear a strong resemblance to Caribbean... more

by Cheri Randolph

Title

Uptown Shotgun

Artist

Cheri Randolph

Medium

Photograph

Description

The earliest known examples of Shotgun type houses in New Orleans date at least to the 1830s. Shotgun houses bear a strong resemblance to Caribbean house types prevalent in the 18th century, and some historians suggest it may have been imported to New Orleans in the early 19th century. Whatever it origins, this highly efficient and comparatively inexpensive building type was so popular among both the middle and working classes for over a century that it is probably the most prevalent historic building type in the city.

The simplest Shotgun type house is the “single Shotgun", which is shown here and comprised a long narrow structure 1 room wide and 3 to 5 rooms deep, with each room opening onto the next.

The name derived from the fact that the interior & exterior doors all line up, therefore, one could literally fire a shotgun through the house and have the bullet enter and exit without striking any walls.


Note: This image has been processed using a digital watercolor filter. It will be more effective if printed on a matt surface such as watercolor or Somerset Velvet paper.

Uploaded

February 4th, 2012