"...Beautiful and unusual scenes of early 20th century New Orleans... capture subjects typically ignored by the photographers of the era: transvestites, demolition of historic buildings, working class children in their yards, the mean streets of New Orleans. [Mendes'] photographs are exceptional from both documentary and aesthetic perspectives, presenting what could accurately be classified as photographic fold art. The collection is complemented by excerpts from his self-published autobiography, Dogs in my life, which add Mendes' sometimes tragic, sometimes hilarious voice to the remarkable images."--Back cover.