Mardi Gras at Home at the Williams Residence

Leila Williams as Queen of Mystic

Leila Williams as Queen of Mystic; 1936; The L. Kemper and Leila Moore Williams Founders Collection at The Historic New Orleans Collection, 79-78-L.12

January 10, 2018 to February 25, 2018
Tuesday–Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Sunday, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Williams Residence, 533 Royal Street
Admission is free.

This winter, the home of THNOC’s founders—General and Mrs. L. Kemper Williams—will be decorated for the Carnival season. Photographs, favors, and ephemera from the Williamses’ personal collections will be on display throughout the house. Guests will be able to see favors, Carnival royalty crown jewels, and historic costume designs and invitations acquired by the passionate preservationists. For this special exhibition, the house will be open for self-guided tours, and visitors are invited to immerse themselves in mid-20th century design and Mardi Gras traditions at their own pace. 

Media Coverage

The New Orleans Advocate: Comus cup and Mystic cape: Memories of Carnival spangle a French Quarter home

Related Events

January 10–February 8: “Rites, Rituals, Revelry,” a Mardi Gras-themed tour of the Williams Residence

January 30: “The History of the Baby Dolls,” a lecture by Dianne Honoré

January 31: Presentation and book signing with Howard Philips Smith, author of Unveiling the Muse: The Lost History of Gay Carnival in New Orleans