Our February Treasure of the Month features items from James Glover Tompkins, III’s 1939 Junior Mardi Gras King costume, as well as a photograph of Tompkins wearing the costume.
For those new to the island, Mardi Gras season is the roughly two weeks of celebrations that culminate on Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras in French). This short period of revelry and excess is in preparation for the austere Lenten season which begins on Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras has been celebrated in New Orleans and other places since the 1730s, but first began on Galveston Island in 1867, featuring lavish masquerade balls, theatrical performances, and parades. The event quickly grew throughout the last few decades of the 19th century, until World War II when official festivities ended. In 1949 the city reinstated Mardi Gras, but participation during this period was sporadic and pricy, so it was shut down again in the mid-1950s. In 1982 local krewes started to organize small events. By 1985, with the support of George and Cynthia Mitchell, Larry Del Papa and other local business leaders, Galveston kicked off its modern Mardi Gras celebration which continues today.
Early Mardi Gras celebrations were focused on an adult audience. It wasn’t until 1929 that a Junior Mardi Gras event was created. Sponsored by the Galveston Booster Club, the event was open to children of all ages and included a coronation, grand march, and choreographed court dances.
1939 was one of the last full Mardi Gras seasons before the event shut down during World War II. The theme for Junior Mardi Gras was the Court of Actias Luna (the Luna Moth). This costume from our museum collection was worn by James Glover Tompkins, III, who was selected as that year’s King. The costume includes a tunic and crown as well as a ruffled shirt and tights, as shown in the photograph of Tompkins. The tunic is made of velvet and lined with satin. Embellishments include a border of glittery cloth and green and purple sequins. The butterfly or moth on the chest was hand stitched onto the tunic in the same fabric as the border. The crown is made of similar materials. The maker of the costume is unknown, but the handmade nature of the tunic and crown suggest it could have been a family member or friend.
The crown was found with a matching queen’s crown in Ye Odde Shop, a local antiquities store that has since closed. Several years later, the crown was reunited with the tunic when Tompkins himself donated the tunic and the photograph to the library. Tompkins served as a Cadet Midshipman in World War II and later attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy and Georgetown University. He worked for the Lykes Brothers Steamship Company and also served as the NATO advisor for merchant shipping. Tompkins retired to Hampstead, North Carolina and passed away in 2013.
Child and family-friendly Mardi Gras events have continued with the modern-day revival. This year, an entire day (Sunday, March 2, 2025) is devoted to family-friendly parades and activities. Though Junior Mardi Gras is no more, Galveston locals and visitors alike can enjoy the colorful, whimsical fun of Mardi Gras celebrations here on the island.
The Treasure of the Month is located on the library’s historic second floor near the East Entrance. It can be viewed during regular library hours, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For museum questions, call 409.763.8854 Ext. 125 or email museum@rosenberg-library.org. For press inquiries, contact the Communications Coordinator.
