A New Orleans native, John H. Lawrence was responsible for building the extensive photographic holdings at The Historic New Orleans Collection, where he worked for 46 years before retiring as director of museum programs at the end of 2020. As THNOC's head of curatorial collections, Lawrence oversaw holdings numbering more than half a million items. He has written and lectured widely about contemporary and historic photography and about the administration and preservation of pictorial collections, and he has curated dozens of exhibitions on a wide range of photographic, artistic, and general historical topics. He holds degrees in literature and art history from Vassar College and a certificate in museum management from the Getty Leadership Institute, formerly the Museum Management Institute.
