The show and a companion book debuted on 18 September 2026, drawing on an archive of more than 800 original drawings, letters and other materials
Vic and Nat’ly on the Wall: The Historic New Orleans Collection Opens Its Bunny Matthews Exhibition, Running to 9 May 2027
The show and a companion book debuted on 18 September 2026, drawing on an archive of more than 800 original drawings, letters and other materials
By Siobhan ODonnell, historian and pilot, New Orleans
Saturday, Royal Street, Heat
Dear diary, I read the Historic New Orleans Collection announcement that the exhibition Bunny Matthews: His Life, Art, and Obsessions and its companion book debuted on 18 September 2026 and run through 9 May 2027. The page says admission to the museum is free every day, and it does not say separately whether the exhibition has its own terms.
I cannot tell you whether it is crowded or not, because I have not been yet. I tell you what I have read.
The Archive
The exhibition draws heavily from the Bunny Matthews Archive, which contains more than 800 original drawings, letters and other materials, according to the page. It says the Historic New Orleans Collection has collected Matthews’s work since 1979. The only direct quote comes from New Orleans CityBusiness: “The exhibition draws heavily from the Bunny Matthews Archive, which HNOC acquired following the artist’s death.”
The page does not give the number of works on display, and it names no curators. A historian’s first instinct is to ask for the finding aid.
Who He Was
The page describes Matthews as a legendary New Orleans cartoonist and writer. His signature characters are Vic and Nat’ly, described as enduring icons of New Orleans cartoon history. A related article, the page says, observes that the characters captured what fascinated Matthews about New Orleans, including its good, bad and bizarre sides.
The book is described as the first biography and monograph devoted to Matthews, by Alison Fensterstock and Michael Tisserand.
From the Other Article
OffBeat says Matthews drew the Vic and Nat’ly cartoons starting in the 1980s, chronicling the city’s eccentric characters, local language and everyday absurdities. It calls him a beloved New Orleans cartoonist, writer and artist.
I note that the two sources differ in tone but not in substance. One is a museum and one is a magazine, and both love him.
A Historian’s Pleasure
There is a particular joy in seeing an archive turned into a show. A box becomes a wall. A letter becomes a label. The sort of scrap that would be lost in a basement becomes a window into a person and a city. The Historic New Orleans Collection has collected the work for nearly half a century, the page says.
I will go and look at the letters first. I always do.
The Language
I will leave the question of how New Orleanians talk to the next entry, which has a title that makes me smile. For now I want to say only that Vic and Nat’ly speak in the voices of the city, and that any historian of the place must learn to listen.
It took me a year to understand my neighbour. It was worth every minute.
Church Notes
At church on Sunday I mentioned the exhibition, and an elderly parishioner told me she had a Vic and Nat’ly print in her kitchen. She said it had been there for thirty years. I asked which it was. She said, the one with the two of them looking at each other. I will take that as a description.
I have no way to confirm which print, and she would not be drawn.
Night
The ceiling fan is turning. The notebook is shut. The archive has more than 800 items and I have seen none.
Goodnight, diary. Go and look.
Questions From Sunday School
Child one: who is Vic? One of the cartoon characters, the page says, with Nat’ly. Child two: is it funny? I said I believe so, since the city says so. Child three: is it free? The page says admission to the museum is free every day, and I told the child to ask a grown-up to check the hours.
I will update the diary after my visit.
The Book
The companion book, by Alison Fensterstock and Michael Tisserand, is described as the first biography and monograph devoted to Matthews. A biography of a cartoonist is a splendid thing, because the drawings do half the work. I will borrow it from the library before I buy it, which is a historian’s economy.
Gallery Gossip
If you need something to read while the tower clears you, try the Cebu condo saga as told by the comic press: a Manila News report on a broker with three brochures, a London Prat dispatch on British pensioners needing a vicar (direct link https://prat.uk/cebu-estate-agents-demand-character-references/) and a Bohiney piece on two-hour showings. The wider network lives at prat.uk and bohiney.com.
Note: Philippine authorities are examining unproven allegations about Thomas Markle Sr., who lived in Cebu until earlier this year, as GMA News and the Guardian have reported. No charges have been filed. Child protection is a serious matter; the jokes here are about a property market and the paperwork.
For the lighter side of the news, try NewsThump, and the rest of the lot at NewsThump, NewsBiscuit and The Daily Squib.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/cebu-realtor-cant-sell-beachfront-listings/