Ignatius J. Reilly Statue

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

This bronze figure of Ignatius J. Reilly was dedicated in 1996 and pays homage to one of the greatest satirical novels, "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole. The statue was located here because it was the location of D.H Holmes Department Store, which is the setting in the book. The former New Orleans department store is now home to Hyatt Centric hotel.

Images

Ceiling, Room, Military uniform, Building

Sculpture, Statue, Art, Bronze sculpture

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Easy to miss for those who are unaware of this small statue and its history, the Ignatius J. Reilly statue shows a sloppy and manic-looking man standing outside the former D.H Holmes building. In John Kennedy Toole's famous book "A Confederacy of Dunces," Reilly's character wanders around the city running into a variety of colorful people. He is posted outside the building now, seeming to study the crowd of people for signs of bad taste in dress, and waiting for his mother. The statue is often thought to have been removed, but it gets moved inside during Mardi Gras season and other times to avoid the potential of damage. Toole's mother got his famous book published eleven years after his suicide. Toole was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for literature posthumously.

Sources

Weinhardt Goldberg, Jane. Ignatius J. Reilly Statue, Atlas Obscura. Accessed October 25th 2020. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ignatius-j-reilly-statue.

Statue of Ignatius J. Reilly, Roadside America. Accessed October 25th 2020. https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/18313.

Scott, Mike. Story behind 'A Confederacy of Dunces' to become feature film, Nola. February 3rd 2017. Accessed October 25th 2020. https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/movies_tv/article_f08e1980-9370-5fb6-be3b-e224e6425f28.html.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ignatius-j-reilly-statue

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/18313