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Krewe of Rex hatpin holder; 1909; gilded metal; 1961.5.2
Twelfth Night Revelers ball-favor pin depicting Ayesha, heroine of the gothic novel She, surrounded by flames; createdfor 1923; silver with gold wash, enamel; 1979.254.76
which features elaborately engraved vignettes of the four seasons. Other housewares in the collection include clocks, candlesticks, goblets, dishes, desk sets, jiggers, and vases.
In addition to exploring the wide range of favors in our holdings, I am privileged to work with the sparkling jewelry worn by Carnival royalty. Recently I researched a crown worn by David DiVincenti in 1938. Made of cloth with a leather base, the crown is decorated with rhinestones, colored-glass inserts, and glass beads. When I first compared the catalog record with preliminary research, however, I discovered some inconsistencies in its purported provenance.
The information stated that in 1935 DiVincenti wore the crown as king of the children’s krewe NOR, short for New Orleans Romance, and that the crown was made by his grandmother, Pauline Anderson (1895—1975). I first turned to genealogical databases and determined that Anderson was, in fact, DiVincenti’s grandmother. I also determined that DiVincenti was about nine years old in 1935, which would fit with him being king of NOR. Searching for information about the krewe from 1935, however, I learned that DiVincenti was not actually
king that year. Neither my reference books nor the newspaper archives I checked turned up any mention of him ever holding the NOR crown.
My breakthrough came from our own catalog: running a search for “DiVincenti,” I came across several photographs of his sister, Marie. A couple of them identify her as she poses with a Krewe of NOR float. In looking through those photographs for any indication of the crown, I found two others from the 1938—not 1935, as the record originally stated—McDonogh 15 childrens Carnival parade. In both, David DiVincenti is shown wearing the crown from our collection. The second photograph even bears the captions “King’s Float” and “Dave.” Having found concrete proof of the crown’s provenance, I updated our records for both the crown and the photos.
Working on this project has been stimulating and fulfilling, and my work will continue with the passing of every Carnival season. Every Mardi Gras brings new treasures. With each new object, I literally hold a piece of Mardi Gras history in my hands and help preserve it for future generations to enjoy.
—Lissa Capo
6 Volume XXXI, Number 1 — Winter 2014