Costume design from Krewe of Proteus 1899 parade. Theme: E. Pluribus Unum.

Costume design from Krewe of Proteus 1899 parade. Theme: E. Pluribus Unum.

They just don’t do krewe costumes like they used to. Krewes like Proteus used to parade, then go straight to their ball (in 1899, that would have been held at the French Opera House). The maskers wore their costumes for the tableau on the floats.

Costume drawing, watercolor on board, Krewe of Venus, costume for float no. 14, "Battle of Waterloo--English" not signed by the artist, dated 1954 on reverse

Costume drawing, watercolor on board, Krewe of Venus, costume for float no. 14, “Battle of Waterloo–English” not signed by the artist, dated 1954 on reverse

In 1954, the Krewe of Venus’ theme was “Battle of Waterloo”. While the uniform isn’t quite historically accurate, it’s an awesome costume.

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