The Louisiana Digital Library (LDL) offers access to thousands of digitized primary sources. This guide highlights items and collections related to topics such as Mardi Gras, Carnival, festivals, and parades.
To use this guide, please follow the links to browse and research collections. In some cases we have provided links to filtered results within a collection.
Photographs
Rural and Cajun Mardi Gras
Search results from State Library of Louisiana Historic Photographs Collection highlighting photos of Mardi Gras festivities in Mamou and Church Point, Louisiana.
- Topics: Mardi Gras, Cajun Mardi Gras, Acadiana, Festivals
Mardi Gras in New Orleans
Search results from various collections in the Louisiana Digital Library highlighting photographs of parades, costumes, decorations, and floats.
- Topics: Mardi Gras, New Orleans, costumes, parades, crowds, floats
Mardi Gras in New Roads, Louisiana
Search results from State Library of Louisiana Historic Photographs Collection highlighting the Mardi Gras parades in New Roads, Louisiana.
Mardi Gras Costumes
Search results from State Library of Louisiana Historic Photographs Collection and the Works Progress Administration Collection highlighting photos of Mardi Gras costumes.
- Topics: Mardi Gras, costumes, men, women, children
Mardi Gras Floats
Search results from various collections in the Louisiana Digital Library highlighting photographs, drawings, illustrations, and newspapers of Mardi Gras floats from construction to rolling in the parades.
Documents from the Works Progress Administration
Selected Mardi Gras news and announcements from State Library's Louisiana Works Progress Administration Collection. These primary sources provide insight into the history of Mardi Gras in Louisiana in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
- 1781: City Council meets to discuss Attorney General's suggestion that Blacks and Whites not celebrate together while soldiers are in town, 1781
- 1855: Masquerade at St. Charles Hotel
- 1883: Liedertafel Ball; a brilliant event at Grunewald Hall last night; merry maskers and lovely ladies mingle in the dance [1883]: Description of a Mardi Gras ball held in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1883 by a singing organization made up of Germans living in New Orleans called the New Orleans Liedertafel.
- 1886-1894: Society news surrounding New Orleans society ladies in anticipation of Mardi Gras events from 1886 to 1894
- 1928: Bulls Aid Pleasure and Social Club to hold 15th annual parade in New Orleans
- 1930s: Listing of mens' and women's clubs in New Orleans Louisiana, probably from the early 1900s
- 1930s: Religious ceremonies and social customs surrounding Lent in New Orleans circa 1930s.
