We bring you here several photographs of a small exhibit mounted in the Louisiana Division to celebrate the Carnival season and to highlight items from the Division's extensive Carnival Collection.

The Carnival Collection includes invitations, programs, dance cards, admit cards and other miscellaneous items from the balls held by various Carnival krewes; crowns, scepters, masks, costumes and other Mardi Gras regalia; favors and pins given to participants in the carnival balls; a large group of "dukes' badges" from the Rex organization; doubloons, beads, cups, Zulu coconuts, and trinkets thrown from the floats; design drawings for floats; and a conglomeration of other Carnival related ephemera from the 19th and 20th centuries.

A sampling Zulu coconuts, perhaps the most prized of all Carnival "throws." (left to right)A "lyric meditation" by the Jefferson City Buzzards marching krewe celebrating their diamond jubilee; an invitation to the 1916 Krewe of Athenians ball; a program from the Mistik Krewe of Comus's 1878 ball; a Zulu proclamation dedicating the krewe's golden anniversary medallion; and an admit card to Elves of Oberon's 1878 ball; (front)an assortment of tin throws.

Badges worn by dukes in Rex

Link here for February's Images of the Month, featuring images of Carnival balls.

Link here other Mardi Gras sites both within NUTRIAS and beyond.

iw 2/8/1999