Emilie de Hoa LeBlanc (American/New Orleans, 1870-1941, act. Newcomb College, 1897-1921) , "The Praline Seller", graphite on paper, unsigned, 2 partial portraits en verso, sight 15 1/4 in. x 19 in., framed with double-sided glass. Note: Pralinieres, women who sold pralines on the streets of New Orleans, were some of the first women of color – along with coffee sellers, callas sellers and laundresses – to work for themselves as opposed to being employed as domestic help. According to Newcomb College tradition, Mary Louise was the “praline lady” on Washington Avenue near the old campus of Newcomb College before it was moved to Broadway in 1918. Depicted by several of Newcomb’s art students, including Sadie Irvine and Selina Bres, Mary Louise was a well-known figure in the Newcomb community, as was her daughter, Azelie, who took over her mother’s business after Mary Louise’s death.