Power and Place: Gender, Greed, and the Creole French Elite

On November 6, 1795, amid the political instability and fetid environment that characterized colonial New Orleans, a child destined to command a remarkable strength of character in the face of lifelong tragedy was born. The infant, known as Micael to family and supporters, would in maturity answer to the imposing appellation Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba, a name that personified both her power and perseverance. In this comprehensive examination of the challenges confronting and the accomplishments attributed to the Baroness, Christina Vella skillfully incorporates social and political history into a fascinating tale certain to inspire envy among many script-writers for modern soap operas.

Micael was the only surviving daughter of the powerful Don Andres Almonester and his self-sufficient wife, Louise de la Ronde. Throughout his lengthy and contentious life Almonester never hesitated to employ his contacts with the Spanish Crown to overcome his rivals in the governing council of New Orleans, the fractious Cabildo. Although Almonester never hesitated to flaunt his power, he seldom succumbed to the arrogance that consumed so many among the Creole New Orleans elite. Indeed, the poor and powerless rarely had a better friend. Almonester’s later years emphasized the true spirit of colonial philanthropy; his generosity allowed for the construction of, among other architectural gifts, the city’s Charity Hospital, a special leper hospital, the St. Louis Cathedral, and most governmental buildings. His widow proved far more possessive of her wealth, a trait that proved abundantly evident in her daughter in later life.

Colonial New Orleans remained a less than idyllic place for raising children and at times proved a more than aggressive opponent to survival. Vella describes the filth that made the city’s streets unfit for anything other than the most essential movement from place to place. Not surprising, the accumulated refuse contributed to the frequent cholera and yellow fever epidemics that earned New Orleans the reputation as a “wet grave.” Vella’s description of conditions in the Crescent City contains little new information not already highlighted in studies such as those by Gilbert Din, John Harkins, Francisco Bouligny, and others. Moreover, the paucity of endnotes may leave some readers frustrated regarding the sources of her evidence. Vella’s purpose, however, is not to pioneer a groundbreaking survey of conditions in colonial New Orleans, but instead to describe conditions that would have encouraged a teenage girl to abandon her family and friends for an arranged marriage in a foreign country, a sojourn that serves as the main focus of the story.

Micael’s marriage to Celestin de Pontalba initially appeared to be a wise move for the young heiress to the Almonester fortune. Both the handsome young groom and the rich bride hailed from the elite of New Orleans society although Celestin, who resided with his family in France at the time of the marriage, came from the decidedly less fortunate end of the upper class. Vella provides painstaking detail on each family—detail that foreshadows the misfortune that awaited the young bride. The Pontalbas remained classic opportunists, and sadly for her, Micael provided the greatest of opportunities. Despite the impressive company he kept, in particular the close relationship he shared with the Spanish governor of Louisiana, Esteban Miro, life had never been easy for the elder Pontalba. His parents shipped him off to school in France at the tender age of four, a harsh reality that almost certainly contributed to the obsession for attention and intimacy that characterized the remainder of his life. Pontalba’s ferocious attachment to both his wife and young Celestin was rivaled only by the intense loyalty returned by his son. The consistent disappointment that accompanied virtually all aspects of his life made despair Pontalba’s abiding companion. Into this cauldron of personal insecurity and financial instability stepped the unsuspecting sixteen-year-old Micael.

The cordial reception Micael received upon her arrival at the Pontalba’s Chateau Mont-l’Eveque...