The Blood of the Baroness: Micaëla de Pontalba – Shot, Betrayed, and Unbreakable

Don't miss our book lecture with the authors June 10th beginning at 5:30 PM at 523 St. Ann St. https://friendsofthecabildo4.ticketing.veevartapp.com/tickets/view/list/courtyard-lecture-series

The Blood of the Baroness mines the world of the bizarre, tapestried Baroness of Pontalba. A woman grown fierce from fighting terror outside and inside the family—and the proud, tortured, exotic men who betrayed her. The authors, sixth- and seventh-generation New Orleanians, bring you up close to the formidable heiress of nineteenth-century New Orleans and France. Inspired by documented events—and a shocking attempted murder—this historical novel blends meticulous research with the propulsive pacing of a psychological thriller. 

The authors, Dr. O’Neill Schmitt and Dr. Schmitt, reexamine the Baroness through a bold, contemporary lens. They dare to ask: What if? From the marble altars of St. Louis Cathedral—built by the Baroness’s father twice—to the gilded salons of France, readers follow the evolution of the infant heiress from a fifteen-year-old bride to wife, mother, brutality survivor, and ultimately a visionary businesswoman. Her iconic Pontalba Apartments still anchor Jackson Square.