Mardi Gras Maskers on the Streets of New Orleans in 1919

Though the end of the war brought about a joyous time, the winter of 1918 was marked by the spread of Spanish influenza. Much like today, newspapers reported daily case counts. From October 1918 to April 1919, New Orleans experienced over 54,000 cases of the Spanish flu, with nearly 3,500 deaths. The war may have ended, but New Orleans, along with the rest of the world, was still reeling from a deadly pandemic that would plague the city for two years. Although the Spanish flu wasn’t enough to cancel Mardi Gras on its own, it came at a time when the city was still recovering financially from the war.  

So once again, parades and balls for the upcoming Carnival season were canceled. But this did not stop some New Orleanians from taking to the streets wearing masks and costumes on Mardi Gras Day. Although retail stores remained open for “business as usual,” Mayor Behrman announced that individuals could celebrate Mardi Gras if they pleased.

Smaller Carnival organizations, such as the Jefferson City Buzzards, the Easy Riders, the Magazine Market Swells, and the Mysterious Babies were among those that held impromptu street parades. The Loyal Order of Moose even held a masquerade ball Mardi Gras night. Photographer John Tibule Mendes documented the day in photographs, capturing costumed revelers on Canal Street as they commemorated the holiday amid a normal workday. 

On Mardi Gras Day in 1919, Rex did not parade because of the recently ended war. Instead, many people held their own, impromptu celebrations and roamed the streets in costume, 800-block of Canal St.

Six Mardi Gras maskers on Canal St. Official Carnival activities were suspended by the City in 1918 and 1919 following World War I, although many New Orleanians roamed the streets in costume and held impromptu celebrations.

Group of maskers on Canal and Camp Street on Mardi Gras, March 4, 1919.

Mardi Gras maskers on Canal Street, New Orleans, 1919.

A female impersonator on Mardi Gras, March 4, 1919.

(Photos by John Tibule Mendes/ The Historic New Orleans Collection)

Women Posing With Giant and Creepy Masks From the Venice Beach Mardi Gras Festival in 1935

On August 16, 1935, California’s fabled Venice Beach kicked off its very first Mardi Gras Festival. The celebration (which was inspired by New Orleans’ Mardi Gras) included events such as parades, the Miss California Beauty Pageant, the coronation of Queen Venetia by King Neptune, and a gala ball that concluded the three-day celebration.

Since you can’t have a proper Mardi Gras party without giant papier-mâché masks, take a gander at the ones hanging out on Venice Beach in the following photos from the mid-1930s. The masks, which were three to four feet tall, are as whimsical as they are super creepy.

(via Dangerous Minds)

20 Vintage Snaps of People Wearing Spooky for New Orleans’ Mardi Gras in 1903

These photos of costumed revelers are from the Telling-Grandon scrapbook/diary, found at the Louisiana Digital Library. It contains photographs and ephemera collected by an Evanston, Illinois group during a visit by train to the New Orleans Carnival of 1903.

While the scrapbook has no single author, several of the entries are signed by individuals within the group. Two of the more prominent among these were an Irving Telling and Willie Grandon; thus the title of the collection, Telling-Grandon.

The holiday of Mardi Gras is celebrated in all of Louisiana, including the city of New Orleans. Celebrations are concentrated for about two weeks before and through Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Usually there is one major parade each day (weather permitting); many days have several large parades. The largest and most elaborate parades take place the last five days of the Mardi Gras season. In the final week, many events occur throughout New Orleans and surrounding communities, including parades and balls (some of them masquerade balls).

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