Art-loving alumni donate Louis Armstrong portrait to law school

There is a new, well-known face hanging in the hallway that leads to the Tulane Law Dean’s Office, thanks to a generous gift from an art-loving alumni family.

The portrait of Louis Armstrong titled Funeral for Louis: Old Louis by artist John T. Scott (1940-2007) is a hand-pressed woodcut print of the famous New Orleans Jazz legend in black and white, playing his signature trumpet.

The donation came from law alumnus Tim Francis (L’84) and his wife, Ashley (B’01), who have made a personal commitment to donate art to Tulane, in hopes others will do the same.

“We are enormously grateful to Tim and Ashley for their generosity in sharing these exceptional works of art – and these fitting tributes to New Orleans heritage – with the Tulane Law community,” said Dean David Meyer.

Francis is a successful attorney with the New Orleans firm Sher Garner Cahill Richter Klein & Hilbert, where he specializes in litigation, business transactions and government relations. He serves on the Board of Tulane, and with Ashley, who holds an MBA from Tulane, has donated generously to the university. 

Last year, the couple donated a Lionel Hampton portrait by the renowned artist Frederick J. Brown. And, the couple donated two other works to Tulane – a large sculpture by New Orleans-born artist John Scott called “Black Butterfly” and eight large woodcut prints by Scott. 

“The Tulane Law School experience had a positive and dramatic impact on charting my career and shaping how I see the world,” Francis said at the time. “In particular, it taught me that with a Tulane education everything is possible. As a result, I have had a rich life in politics, the arts and most important the law.”