Regal Revelry: The Royal Connection of Mardi Gras Costumes

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Unboxing History, Episode 1 is a conversation between Christine Hopkins, a Galveston author and local expert, and Jodi Wright-Gidley, director of the Galveston County Museum. As part of this series, they’ll unbox the treasures in the collection of the museum. In this episode, they discuss the history and significance of Mardi Gras and Treasure Ball in Galveston, focusing on the use of ermine fur in the costumes currently featured in the exhibit. They also discuss the history of Mardi Gras in Galveston and invite listeners to visit the Galveston County Museum.

Show Notes:

Unboxing History: Regal Revelry: The Royal Connection of Mardi Gras Costumes  

In the first episode of 'Unboxing History,' hosts Christine Hopkins and Jodi Wright-Gidley explore connections between European royalty, ermine fur, and Galveston's Mardi Gras. The show delves into the history and symbolism of the ermine fur, its ties to royalty, and its presence in Mardi Gras costumes despite modern ethical shifts against real fur use. The hosts also discuss Mardi Gras's beginnings in 600 AD, its relevance in Galveston, Treasure Ball, and how it underwent a revival in 1985. Listeners are invited to visit the Galveston County Museum's Mardi Gras exhibit, featuring artifacts and costumes dating back to 1856.

00:00 Introduction to Unboxing History

00:31 Unveiling the Historic Treasure

00:57 The History and Significance of Ermine

01:43 Ermine and Mardi Gras Connection

02:21 The Tradition of Mardi Gras in Galveston

03:28 The Role of Mardi Gras in Community Fundraising

03:56 Revival of Mardi Gras in Galveston

04:05 Exploring the Mardi Gras Exhibit at the Galveston County Museum

05:10 How to Get Involved with the Galveston County Museum

05:37 Donating Mardi Gras Items to the Museum

06:18 Conclusion: The Growth of Mardi Gras Since Its Revival

Special thanks to the Galveston Chamber of Commerce for their ongoing support and Shawn Schoellkopf for creating and performing the theme music.

Thank you for listening to Unboxing History, presented by the Galveston County Museum.
For more information on the Museum, visit our website.

History of the Galveston County Museum
The Galveston County Museum was formed in 1976. It was located on Market Street for many years. After Hurricane Ike damaged the HVAC and electrical systems in 2008, the unharmed artifacts were moved. Now, the museum is located in the Galveston County courthouse building at 722 Moody/21st Street in Galveston.

​Galveston County Museum is a joint project of the Galveston County Commissioners Court and Galveston County History, Inc. The museum cares for a collection of 20,000 artifacts and archives. We also maintain the Historical Commission's library. If you are interested in research or donating an artifact related to Galveston County history, please call 409.766.2340.

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
You know.

Christine Hopkins (00:09):
Welcome to Unboxing History.
I'm Christine Hopkins, aGalveston author and local
expert.
And I'm

Jodi Wright-Gidley (00:15):
Jody Wright Gidley, director of the
Galveston County Museum.
As you'd

Christine Hopkins (00:19):
guess, the Galveston County Museum has a
treasure trove of historic itemswith a story to tell, and we'll
be sharing the tradition behindthese treasures on Unboxing
History.
So this month, Jody, what's ourtreasure?
Well,

Jodi Wright-Gidley (00:33):
our treasure is something that European
royalty has in common withGalveston Mardi Gras.
Shall we check it out?
Okay.
So this may not be a realfamiliar term to people, but
this is ermine.
a fur that was used in historictimes.
European royalty would prize thewhite fur with the little black

(00:54):
spots from a little animalcalled a stoat.
The fur is made from the whitefur, and this little animal had
a little black tail, and you'dsew it together, and the result
would be a white fur with littleblack spots.
And that became very prized.
And so royalty from all over theworld would use this fur in
their costumes and their crowns.

(01:14):
Now our fur is not real.
Our ermine is not real.
And even today, there aren't newcostumes, even in other
countries, made with real fur.
The ermine is still used on alot of costumes today, and
that's what our treasure is nowbecause we have our Mardi Gras
exhibit on and all of thecostumes have ermine in

Christine Hopkins (01:35):
them.
So that's how the ermine relatesto Mardi Gras and Galveston.
Yes.
And I did read that, thank youQueen Elizabeth, she did dictate
in 2019 that no fur would beused in her future clothing.
So hopefully they'll continue touse that.
But a lot of times on.
the different, on the news andso forth, you'll see them
wearing old, old,

Jodi Wright-Gidley (01:55):
uh, cloaks.
Yeah.
Historic pieces still have realfur, but none of ours do here.
So

Christine Hopkins (02:00):
tell us about Mardi Gras in Galveston.

Jodi Wright-Gidley (02:03):
Well, so Mardi Gras has a worldwide
tradition that started way back,we're talking like 600 AD.
That's when Pope Gregory createdLent.
It would lead up to Easter.
And so Lent was about fastingand prayer.
So over time.
People decided, well, before Ihave to start my fasting and
prayer time, I'm going to have agood time.

(02:24):
So Lent starts on Ash Wednesday,and you go back one day, Tuesday
is Fat Tuesday, that means MardiGras in French.
And so Mardi Gras has become atradition we all know about and
it lasts about a week and wehave lots of parades and
parties.
And so in Galveston, we have ourown Mardi Gras royalty and
that's where the costumes comein with some of the ermine.

(02:45):
We have kings and queens andfancy invitations.
And throughout history inGalveston, Mardi Gras started
about 1853 with Menard havingthe first Mardi Gras party.
Our founder of Galveston.
Yes.
And so over the years, MardiGras was really a huge community
festival.
It kind of died down a littlebit, but it continued in private

(03:05):
homes and private parties.
A lot of our costumes are fromthe treasure ball, which is part
of Mardi Gras time.
And that is a Catholic schoolfundraiser.
And so every year, even to thisday, Treasure Ball exists with,
uh, kings and queens and crownbearers and flower girls and all
of these costumes in ourcollection are from that.

Christine Hopkins (03:24):
Well, and it's their biggest fundraiser.
Right.
So it's a fundraiser forO'Connell High School now.
And it's been interestingbecause you'll see generations
of families that participate inTreasure Ball.
Yeah.
So it's really a lot of fun.
So, and then Mardi Gras wasrevived.
in 1985 across the wholecommunity.
But now tell us a little bitabout the exhibit that we can
see here at the Galveston CountyMuseum.

(03:45):
Yeah, so

Jodi Wright-Gidley (03:46):
we have about a hundred Mardi Gras
items.
That's costumes, photos,jewelry, medallions, you name
it.
And so this year we bring outthese things every year at Mardi
Gras time because people love tosee them.
And so this year we choseeverything that has Ehrman in
the costume.
So the oldest one on exhibit isfrom 1856.
It's a little crown bearer'scostume.

(04:07):
It's purple.
It's velvet.
It's beautiful.
And so then we have some from1968 through the 70s and the
newest one that we have onexhibit this year is from 2002.

Christine Hopkins (04:19):
I walked in this morning and thought, oh my
gosh?
Because these capes are sovisual and they're hand done.
Every year they do a new themeand they're hand sewn.
It really is something to see.
Yeah.
So, what's your favorite cape?
I know

Jodi Wright-Gidley (04:34):
it's really hard to choose.
Well, we have a Cinderella cape.
I believe it's from the 70s or60s time period.
And it has a pumpkin.
It has a silver road leading upto the castle, and it's
Cinderella.

Christine Hopkins (04:48):
Oh, I love that.
Well, um, how can people getinvolved with the Galveston
County Museum?
Well,

Jodi Wright-Gidley (04:53):
certainly visit.
So, like you mentioned, we'refree Monday, Wednesdays, and
Fridays, and we're open 10 to 4.
We're located inside the countybuilding at 722 Moody or 21st
Street.
And so come visit us.
It's free.
We have free parking.
It's a great place to visit.
And then on Tuesdays andThursdays, we offer the private
tours and the mystery game.
So that would be something.
Give us a call or look at ourwebsite to see how to schedule

(05:16):
that.
And then besides that, actually,every year when we have these
Mardi Gras costumes out, peoplesay, Oh, I have a costume.
It's been sitting under my bedfor 10 years.
Is it something you'd like?
Well, we really are stillcollecting Mardi Gras items.
It's something we're committedto doing.
And so if you have something youwant to donate, give us a call
too, and we'll talk about it.
Well, look for a

Christine Hopkins (05:36):
podcast every month called Unboxing History.
Hosted and presented by theGalveston County Museum, and
Jodi and I will be discussingdifferent treasures that you can
only find as part of thecollection of the museum here.
And again, come out and visit.
This is a real treasure forGalveston County.
They accept donations from allover the world.
Thanks so much.

(05:57):
Thanks.
Since Mardi Gras was revived in1985, it has grown quite a bit.
Actually, fun fact, I marched inthe first parade in 1985 for
O'Connell High School in frontof the Treasure Ball Royalty.
So, at this point, Mardi Grasspans over two weeks.
There are, gosh, more than 20parades, processions, and

(06:18):
there's still the grand balls,mainly hosted by private krewes.
So, again, plan your visit, andmake sure you stop by and see
this exhibit as well.
You know.