King Felix’s Float, ca. 1920

King Felix's float in Mobile's Mardi Gras parade, ca. 1920. King Felix is the name given to each year's chosen king, as part of the city's long Carnival tradition.

Courtesy of the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Allen C. and Nancy Crowell Collection
King Felix’s Float, ca. 1920

Joe Cain’s Merry Widows

Joe Cain's "Merry Widows" stand around his grave in historic Church Street Graveyard as part of the annual Mardi Gras celebrations in Mobile. Cain (1832-1904) is credited with reviving the city's festivities after the Civil War

Courtesy of the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama
Joe Cain’s Merry Widows

Mardi Gras Float, ca. 1925

During the early twentieth century, Mardi Gras floats such as this one commonly were adorned with advertisements for local businesses. The Oakdale Ice and Fuel Company in Mobile sponsored this decorative wagon.

Courtesy of the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama
Mardi Gras Float, ca. 1925

Mardi Gras Floral Parade, ca. 1928

This photograph by noted Mobile photographer Erik Overbey features a car decorated as a boat for the city's annual Mardi Gras floral parade, ca. 1928.

Courtesy of the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama
Mardi Gras Floral Parade, ca. 1928

Mystic Tableau

This elaborate tableau featuring members of an unidentified Mardi Gras mystic society was taken in the studio of Mobile photographer Erik Overbey in the mid-1930s.

Courtesy of the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama
Mystic Tableau

Mardi Gras Masker, ca. 1935

A Mardi Gras masker strikes a drunken pose in a Mobile doorway, ca. 1935.

Courtesy of the S. Blake McNeely Collection, Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama
Mardi Gras Masker, ca. 1935

Knights of Revelry, 1935

The 1935 Knights of Revelry mystic society's Mardi Gras float parades down St. Joseph Street in Mobile.

Courtesy of the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama
Knights of Revelry, 1935

Order of Myths Float, 1940

This float in the 1940 Mardi Gras parade in Mobile was constructed by the Order of Myths mystic society. This organization was founded in 1867 and is one of the city's oldest societies.

Courtesy of the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama
Order of Myths Float, 1940

King and Queen of Mardi Gras, 1946

The 1946 Mardi Gras king and queen pose at the Battle House Hotel in Mobile with their pages and a lady-in-waiting.

Courtesy of the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama
King and Queen of Mardi Gras, 1946

Mystics of Time Float, 1950

Vernadean, the dragon mascot of the Mystics of Time parading society, has been a feature of the organization's Mardi Gras floats since the group's first parade in 1949.

Courtesy of the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama
Mystics of Time Float, 1950

Krewe of Nereids, 1955

The Krewe of Nereids is one of many Mardi Gras organizations, known as mystic societies, and all its members are women. They take their name from the term for sea nymphs in Greek mythology. Here, members pose at a dance in Mobile in 1955.

Courtesy of the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama
Krewe of Nereids, 1955

Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association Float, 1972

Around 1940, African American mystic societies began to form and in Mobile organized as the Colored Carnival Association, which later became the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association (MAMGA). This photo features a chivalry-themed MAMGA Mardi Gras float from 1972.

Courtesy of the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama
Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association Float, 1972