The short life and long legacy of Memphis Mardi Gras
One of several invitations to Memphis Mardi Gras events in the 1870s in the Colton Greene Collection. (Memphis and Shelby County Room, Memphis Public Library & Information Center)
Memphis Mardi Gras returned after the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1878. Despite this ornate invitation from 1888, the event never returned to the grand scale it took on before the epidemic. The last Memphis Mardi Gras was held in 1901. (Memphis and Shelby County Room, Memphis Public Library & Information Center)
A Memphis Mardi Gras Invitation from Memphi, the krewe that organized the 1870s celebrations and was resurrected in the 1930s during the Cotton Carnival. (Memphis and Shelby County Room, Memphis Public Library & Information Center)
Sketches by artist Carl Gutherz that appeared in national magazines and publication were essential to the success of Memphis Mardi Gras. (Memphis and Shelby County Room, Memphis Public Library & Information Center)
Memphis Mardi Gras in the 1870s was organized as a way to promote the city as a center of business and commerce much like the Cotton Carnival and Memphis in May International Festival that followed. (Memphis and Shelby County Room, Memphis Public Library & Information Center)
For a while, the good times rolled when Memphis had its own Mardi Gras. Then Yellow Fever happened. This year, as the pandemic takes a toll on Fat Tuesday, we look at 1870s images that recall a citywide celebration.
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Memphis Mardi Gras Colton Greene Memphis Public Libraries Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
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Bill Dries
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for more than 40 years.
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