Mardi Gras 1956: Through My Father's Lens (Boing Boing Video)

Boing Boing Video presents a special episode featuring rare and historic film from Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana, from 1956.

Artist Mar Dore stumbled on a box of slides in her family's home in Texas and inside, discovered photographs that her father took of the parades in the era of "Mad Men." That box, like a time capsule she says, opened a door into history.

"The photos in this documentary were taken by my Father, John Woodward Mizenko. The photos were taken on February 12th and on Mardi Gras Day, February 14th, 1956, on the Mid-City route and on Canal Street in front of Miller-Wohls Department Store, which is no longer there.

My father was born in the small town of Covington, Louisiana in 1921. He was a chemical engineer, inventor and builder. He worked for major oil companies and we had to move around a lot.


The film was shot close to where my father was taking photos. I keep looking for his face in the crowds. He discovered that he had lymphoma cancer in 1990. His work had exposed him to toxic chemicals for decades, chemicals that caused cancer. It claimed his life in 1991. These photographs celebrate his memory, and even though Ive not yet found his face in those crowds, the photographs themselves illustrate the joy he took in capturing the spirit of Mardi Gras and its wonderful celebration of life."

View a gallery of these photos here:
http://www.galleriamardore.com/foto.html

And more about the photographer here:
http://www.galleriamardore.com/JohnMizenko.html

And scans of the original hand-drawn sketches for the costumes you see on the floats:
http://www.galleriamardore.com/sketches/index.html

Galleria Mar Dore:
http://www.galleriamardore.com

More videos in this series: http://boingboingvideo.com

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Mardi
• Gras
• mardigras
• Parade
• Fat
• Tuesday
• neworleans
• New
• Orleans
• Saints
• Louisiana
• whodat
• Katrina
• South
• Southern
• History
• photographs
• photography
• Mar
• Dore
• John
• Mizenko

[JayJonson1]

To comedytragedy below: Mardi Gras parades vary greatly by the krewes that present them. Some are risque and satirical, but others are "family oriented." Mid-City has always been a "family oriented" parade and continues to be so. I am sure that there were some satirical and risque parades in 1956 as well. Mardi Gras celebrations are very diverse. In addition to dozens of parades, there are dozens of balls and other celebrations, each reflecting different communities.

[CSXer]

Great quality pics and videos for the era!

Your father did good work.

Thanks for sharing this piece of Americana!

[nickash5]

This is so cool! Gems from the past!

[jayjay2678]

Lol where the blacks! Oh it must have be segregated forgot

[MaidenRockable]

Thanks for sharing....i found a Mardi Gras bracelet in my mothers jewelry box dated 1956. it says KREWE OF NEMESIS 1956 New Orleans Mardi Gras.....my mother was born & raised in New Orleans..

[PrimephotoStudio]

Great video, thank for sharing this, it good to see how people took photos and videos, before the digital age.

Thank you

[LordZontar]

@jpwin6114 — each area has its Mardi Gras tradition and one is not any more valid than the other or less so. The Cajun Mardi Gras is distinctive and the maskers show a lot of creativity in their costumes made from scrap fabrics and the wire screen masks. I made one of those for myself a few years ago. As for the "filth" of New Orleans Mardi Gras, that only occurs in about three blocks or so of the Vieux Carre and mostly by idiot tourists and college students. It's mostly a family event.

[LordZontar]

@infrogmation — yes but the Mid-City float decorations have become a lot more elaborate over the years since Ricardo Pustiano became their chief designer. The florals which he festoons over every available square inch of float makes that krewe one of the most spectacular to view every year.

[aajmw]

Absolutely wonderful! My mother was in Adonis in 1961.

[bigtruckguy3500]

Does anyone happen to know anything about the drill team at about 3:33? Are those females?

[infrogmation]

WTF? Mardi Gras NOW is about 10 city miles of families, Boy Scouts, the old and young having a friendly good time, and about 8 blocks of drunk tourists showing their tits to other drunk tourists.