Antoine Julien Meffre-Rouzan by Eugene Francois Marie-Joseph Deveria

The portrait Antoine Julien Meffre-Rouzan by the French artist Eugene Devéria embodies the luxurious lifestyle of a Creole gentleman in New Orleans during the 1830s. Born in the city, Antoine Julien was the son of French immigrant Jacques Meffre-Rouzan. Typically, Creole families maintained strong ties to Europe and frequently visited the continent. While on a trip to Europe in 1833, Antoine Julien sat for Devéria in Paris.

Devéria captured a sense of the young man’s character and personality. Instead of a formal pose, the elegantly dressed Antoine Julien has his left kid gloved hand resting on his cane, while his right hand, jauntily perched on his hip, holds the other glove. The large column in the background and fine draftsmanship reflects the neoclassical style popular in France at the time.

A portrait and history painter, Eugene Devéria was born in Paris and studied under Anne-Louis Girodet. With his brother Achille Devéria, a popular painter and lithographer, Eugene opened an art school.

Meffre-Rouzan became a successful merchant and planter. He married Marie Alix Olivier de Vézin in 1840, and they maintained a home on Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans, where they collected paintings and sculpture. The Louisiana State Museum has a portrait of Madame Antoine Julien Meffre-Rouzan by Jean Joseph Vaudechamp.