About the Gallery

The Owner & The Gallery

Cynthia Badinger, eighth generation New Orleanian with a Creole and Cajun heritage, began representing local artists in the mid- 1970’s. When she began her business, there were only a few prints and just a few Mardi Gras posters. Customers were comparing prices with other shops and opting for the best deal they could find. She quickly realized within her first year of business that the way to grow her business was to knock out the competition. Designing her own artwork and working exclusively with select artists kept the competition at bay. She figured out how to gain volume by offering custom framing and exclusive art pieces that customers could not get anywhere else. She never had to hear again that they found it cheaper down the street.

Continuing her work in framing, decorating and designing art objects, Cindy travels world-wide in order to have specialty items made. She knows what people like and always excels at bringing her ideas to life using various artists. She has been designing, marketing, and selling her copyrighted, trademarked, and patented pieces wholesale through trade shows, to nation-wide shops and Galleries for 33 years. She does custom framing assisting customers in choosing excellent colors for home and office decor. She deals in such high volume that she can maintain her prices and stay competitive.

Gallery Nine Forty is located in the French Quarter on world famous Royal Street on the corner of St. Phillip, across from the CC’s Coffee shop. It is an exclusive local Art Gallery / Frame / Retail shop owned and operated by Cindy. Gallery Nine Forty specializes in local investment art by French Quarter Master Artists and boasts the “Best Custom Frame Prices on Earth!” The artists are world renowned and each are painting in the French Quarter for more than forty years.

The Gallery exhibits thousands of framed original pieces in a variety of mediums and low edition signed Lithographs and serigraphs. Cindy designs huge selection of statuary small gift items and t-shirts and publishes 95% of her own unique artwork. Each designed piece has a copyright © and registered trademark™. The art in the gallery can be expected to appreciate in value due to the high demand for our artists' work and the excellent reputation of the Gallery. Cindy is also the designer, manufacturer and inventor of worldwide patented interior and exterior home décor items. A purchase from Gallery Nine Forty is not only an exquisite piece of art but also an investment and a history of New Orleans and its people sure to be treasured for generations.

The Gallery themes are Historical French Quarter scenes, Food and Drink, The Official Hurricane Katrina Posters™, Louisiana Bayous, Mardi Gras, Celebrities, Jazz and Blues Musicians, Humorous, Animal Art and our World Famous Cool Blue Cajun Cat having fun in the French Quarter.
In addition to creating and selling unique artwork, Gallery Nine Forty provides a “one-stop-shop” service for turning ideas into reality. We take your confidential creative concept through completion. Graphic design, wholesale manufacturing, legal protection, distribution, posters, t-shirts, mugs, accessories apparel, specialty items and much more… the gallery does it all! Cindy is very accomplished in manufacturing gift lines and developing souvenir shop concepts for businesses nationwide. Our clients include restaurants and hotel chains, Social and professional groups, Mardi Gras Clubs and more.

Let us bring your ideas to life. We can service your home, business, or organization.  No job is too big or too small!

The Official Hurricane Katrina Story

Cindy Badinger, owner of Gallery Nine Forty, creates, manufacturers and patents original artwork and printed items including a series of 10 tongue-in-cheek “Official Hurricane Katrina Posters” featuring a magenta cat named Katrina. Proceeds of sales help support local Animal Charities.

After seeing animals suffering in the aftermath of the hurricane, Badinger wanted to do something. She began designing the satirical images while sitting in a hotel room in Mississippi with numerous pets in tow. Badinger, who lost her house in the storm, felt that it would be healthy and healing to find a lighter side of a historical catastrophe. She waited until one full year had passed to begin the poster series so that she wouldn’t offend anyone. She believes that the first year should be a time of mourning and respect to others, and then it is time to let go and start healing. Like the durge music at a jazz funeral; it is very slow and somber until the body is put into the tomb then it becomes a celebration of life.

The atmosphere of Cindy’s Gallery was sad when it re-opened 13 months after Katrina. As soon as the posters came out, instantly the locals had something to laugh about and tourists stopped dwelling on the painful details of the devastation. The comments on the posters are all positive. Everyone seems to understand her intentions to lift spirits.
Cindy received hundreds of calls from locals requesting to use their neighborhood, favorite restaurants, etc., for the posters. Elderly people have been in to purchase the “Free Helicopter Rides” poster because they laugh at the fact that they had one of those free helicopter rides!

University professors and psychiatrists nationwide have been into Cindy’s Gallery to interview her on why and how she came up with what they called “a good idea.”  They said that they teach their students to find humor in a catastrophe. Cindy explained that, “It was survival for me… that you just can’t stay down. It is our choice to live in this wonderful place and that it is also our culture and way of life to celebrate. New Orleans was built and thrives on food, drink, music and fun and we must share it with the world.”

Cindy thoroughly enjoys each and every day bringing smiles to the faces of people worldwide.
The artist’s wit is self-evident. Her “Katrina Martini” poster lists an intriguing recipe: “one-half of Lake Pontchartrain, the rotten contents of one refrigerator, three quarts of grime, a dash of goo, a pinch of gunk and a splash of sludge.”

The posters are available framed or unframed limited edition and display the official embossed Katrina TM Seal. Profits from the sale of the posters benefit local animal charities.