Unboxing History

Regal Revelry: The Royal Connection of Mardi Gras Costumes

January 19, 2024 • Christine Hopkins • Season 1 • Episode 1

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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




Thank you for listening to Unboxing History, presented by the Galveston County Museum.
For more information, 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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You know.

Christine Hopkins:

Welcome to Unboxing History. I'm Christine Hopkins, a Galveston author and local expert. And I'm

Jodi Wright-Gidley:

Jody Wright Gidley, director of the Galveston County Museum. As you'd

Christine Hopkins:

guess, the Galveston County Museum has a treasure trove of historic items with a story to tell, and we'll be sharing the tradition behind these treasures on Unboxing History. So this month, Jody, what's our treasure? Well,

Jodi Wright-Gidley:

our treasure is something that European royalty has in common with Galveston Mardi Gras. Shall we check it out? Okay. So this may not be a real familiar term to people, but this is ermine. a fur that was used in historic times. European royalty would prize the white fur with the little black spots from a little animal called a stoat. The fur is made from the white fur, and this little animal had a little black tail, and you'd sew it together, and the result would be a white fur with little black spots. And that became very prized. And so royalty from all over the world would use this fur in their costumes and their crowns. Now our fur is not real. Our ermine is not real. And even today, there aren't new costumes, even in other countries, made with real fur. The ermine is still used on a lot of costumes today, and that's what our treasure is now because we have our Mardi Gras exhibit on and all of the costumes have ermine in

Christine Hopkins:

them. So that's how the ermine relates to Mardi Gras and Galveston. Yes. And I did read that, thank you Queen Elizabeth, she did dictate in 2019 that no fur would be used in her future clothing. So hopefully they'll continue to use that. But a lot of times on. the different, on the news and so forth, you'll see them wearing old, old,

Jodi Wright-Gidley:

uh, cloaks. Yeah. Historic pieces still have real fur, but none of ours do here. So

Christine Hopkins:

tell us about Mardi Gras in Galveston.

Jodi Wright-Gidley:

Well, so Mardi Gras has a worldwide tradition that started way back, we're talking like 600 AD. That's when Pope Gregory created Lent. It would lead up to Easter. And so Lent was about fasting and prayer. So over time. People decided, well, before I have to start my fasting and prayer time, I'm going to have a good time. So Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, and you go back one day, Tuesday is Fat Tuesday, that means Mardi Gras in French. And so Mardi Gras has become a tradition we all know about and it lasts about a week and we have lots of parades and parties. And so in Galveston, we have our own Mardi Gras royalty and that's where the costumes come in with some of the ermine. We have kings and queens and fancy invitations. And throughout history in Galveston, Mardi Gras started about 1853 with Menard having the first Mardi Gras party. Our founder of Galveston. Yes. And so over the years, Mardi Gras was really a huge community festival. It kind of died down a little bit, but it continued in private homes and private parties. A lot of our costumes are from the treasure ball, which is part of Mardi Gras time. And that is a Catholic school fundraiser. And so every year, even to this day, Treasure Ball exists with, uh, kings and queens and crown bearers and flower girls and all of these costumes in our collection are from that.

Christine Hopkins:

Well, and it's their biggest fundraiser. Right. So it's a fundraiser for O'Connell High School now. And it's been interesting because you'll see generations of families that participate in Treasure Ball. Yeah. So it's really a lot of fun. So, and then Mardi Gras was revived. in 1985 across the whole community. But now tell us a little bit about the exhibit that we can see here at the Galveston County Museum. Yeah, so

Jodi Wright-Gidley:

we have about a hundred Mardi Gras items. That's costumes, photos, jewelry, medallions, you name it. And so this year we bring out these things every year at Mardi Gras time because people love to see them. And so this year we chose everything that has Ehrman in the costume. So the oldest one on exhibit is from 1856. It's a little crown bearer's costume. It's purple. It's velvet. It's beautiful. And so then we have some from 1968 through the 70s and the newest one that we have on exhibit this year is from 2002.

Christine Hopkins:

I walked in this morning and thought, oh my gosh? Because these capes are so visual and they're hand done. Every year they do a new theme and they're hand sewn. It really is something to see. Yeah. So, what's your favorite cape? I know

Jodi Wright-Gidley:

it's really hard to choose. Well, we have a Cinderella cape. I believe it's from the 70s or 60s time period. And it has a pumpkin. It has a silver road leading up to the castle, and it's Cinderella.

Christine Hopkins:

Oh, I love that. Well, um, how can people get involved with the Galveston County Museum? Well,

Jodi Wright-Gidley:

certainly visit. So, like you mentioned, we're free Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and we're open 10 to 4. We're located inside the county building 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 and Thursdays, we offer the private tours and the mystery game. So that would be something. Give us a call or look at our website to see how to schedule that. And then besides that, actually, every year when we have these Mardi Gras costumes out, people say, Oh, I have a costume. It's been sitting under my bed for 10 years. Is it something you'd like? Well, we really are still collecting Mardi Gras items. It's something we're committed to doing. And so if you have something you want to donate, give us a call too, and we'll talk about it. Well, look for a

Christine Hopkins:

podcast every month called Unboxing History. Hosted and presented by the Galveston County Museum, and Jodi and I will be discussing different treasures that you can only find as part of the collection of the museum here. And again, come out and visit. This is a real treasure for Galveston County. They accept donations from all over the world. Thanks so much. Thanks. Since Mardi Gras was revived in 1985, it has grown quite a bit. Actually, fun fact, I marched in the first parade in 1985 for O'Connell High School in front of the Treasure Ball Royalty. So, at this point, Mardi Gras spans over two weeks. There are, gosh, more than 20 parades, processions, and there's still the grand balls, mainly hosted by private krewes. So, again, plan your visit, and make sure you stop by and see this exhibit as well.

You know.