Skip to content

Your cart

Your cart is empty

A richly illustrated history of New Orleans's gay Carnival krewes, from their clandestine origins in the late 1950s through decades of resilience, spectacle, and cultural significance.

Howard Philips Smith draws on two decades of research and detailed interviews to chronicle each major gay krewe — their founders, tableau balls, royalty, and defining moments on stage. The book is distinguished by its visual depth: never-before-published invitations, commemorative posters, admit cards, programs, costume sketches, and rare photographs bring this hidden history vividly to life. A foreword by Henri Schindler situates the work within the broader tradition of New Orleans Carnival scholarship.

  • Howard Philips Smith, Author
  • Foreword by Henri Schindler
  • Published in 2017
  • Hardcover
  • Published by University Press of Mississippi
  • ISBN: 9781496814012

Unveiling the Muse: Lost History of Gay Carnival in New Orleans

Regular price $50.00
Unit price
per 
Fast Shipping
Secure payment
Shipping calculated at checkout.

A richly illustrated history of New Orleans's gay Carnival krewes, from their clandestine origins in the late 1950s through decades of resilience, spectacle, and cultural significance.

Howard Philips Smith draws on two decades of research and detailed interviews to chronicle each major gay krewe — their founders, tableau balls, royalty, and defining moments on stage. The book is distinguished by its visual depth: never-before-published invitations, commemorative posters, admit cards, programs, costume sketches, and rare photographs bring this hidden history vividly to life. A foreword by Henri Schindler situates the work within the broader tradition of New Orleans Carnival scholarship.

  • Howard Philips Smith, Author
  • Foreword by Henri Schindler
  • Published in 2017
  • Hardcover
  • Published by University Press of Mississippi
  • ISBN: 9781496814012