Early Mardi Gras Throws: Glass Bead Necklaces and Handmade Throws

When most people think of Mardi Gras, long, colorful plastic strands of beads come to mind. But did you know that in the early 19th century, Mardi Gras was more intimate than the spectacle we know today and throws were often sweet little handmade gifts? Rooted in French and Spanish Carnival traditions, celebrations emphasized ritual, connection and shared indulgence in the days leading up to Lent.

When throws entered the picture in the 1800s, riders offered spectators items such as fresh flowers, sugared almonds, oranges, wrapped sweets, pastries and small crafted objects. Many of the smaller foot-marching krewes that parade in Mobile and New Orleans — such as Mobile-based Pelican Girls and New Orleans' The Merry Antoinettes, a subkrewe of Krewe Bohème — honor these earlier traditions by encouraging (or even mandating) hand-crafted throws.

The Pelican Girls who parade with the with the Massacre Island Mystic Society on Dauphin Island and in Mobile during its popular Joe Cain Day parade, mandate that throws can be made only with materials available in 1704, including fabric, wood, glass and oysters. Their throws include items such as embroidered handkerchiefs, wooden pelicans and glass bead necklaces with hand-painted oyster shells. The Merry Antoinettes, of which Stacy and Melanie are members, are known for their hand-decorated hand fans, glittered and decorated corks, colorful French macarons created by New Orleans-based French pastry chef, Fournigault "Sully" Sullivan, and petite brioche cakes, which they often cheekily toss into the crowd. 

Glass beads — a version of which New Orleans riders and marchers throw today — entered Mardi Gras later in the 19th century (the practice is often attributed to the Krewe of Rex), as New Orleans expanded as a port city with access to international trade. Many early beads were imported from Europe, particularly from Bohemia (specifically Czechoslovakia), a region long celebrated for its glassmaking tradition. Heavier and often handmade, these beads carried the subtle irregularities of artisanal production — qualities that distinguished them from modern, mass-produced throws. 

Unlike the ubiquitous plastic strands, early glass Czech beads were valued and kept. (A tradition kept alive today, as evidenced by Melanie's husband Mark, who collects the modern day version, pictured in this Journal post's opening image). The Czech beads were not only worn and repurposed, but also often passed down. While Mardi Gras has evolved into a celebration of scale and sound, its origins (and some of today's smaller foot-marching krewes) tell a different story. A story that is quite similar to our ethos at Maison Mariann: craftsmanship matters and celebration is rooted in intention. 

Cheers! 

Sources and Further Reading
Historic New Orleans Collection; Louisiana State Museum; Corning Museum of Glass; Rex Organization Archives; Smithsonian National Museum of American History