Yes, that is indeed the Jackson Brewery, and we are looking uptown toward Canal St. As someone commented on the other picture like this, you can also see St. Patrick's Church steeple off in the distance to the right.

The Illinois Central train traveled from New Orleans all the way north to Chicago. This is the route all blues artists and African Americans took to leave the south in droves to better lives up north,where there were jobs in countless factories,and better pay than picking cotton.

Thinking of that ship got me poking around to read of it's sinking; found here

http://www.divehatteras.com/proteus.html

I'd love to know the story about the stuff floating in the water at the left edge.

The Civil war had ended only 38 years before. Some of the people in this picture were probably born into slavery.

That looks like the Jax (Jackson) Brewery behind the IC freight car. If so, we are facing upriver. The Jax brewery was converted to shops and restaurants many years ago. It's situated on Decatur street across from Jackson square (Plaza de Armes in Spanish times).

A "Porgy and Bess" moment; you get the feeling that any moment great music will erupt. Or not.

Second time this ship has shown up on Shorpy and I still can't place her. She is a massive ship for her time, and much different from the Great Lakes freighters we see here frequently.

[It's the SS Proteus. - Dave]