[SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS COSTUME AND HIGH SOCIETY]. Collection of 21 original color photographs of the Fiesta Parade "Queens and Princesses" in spectacular gowns and trains. TOGETHER WITH: The Order of the Alamo Presents The Court of Gardens (program)

San Antonio: Billo Smith Studios / The Order of the Alamo, 1971. Good. 21 color photographs measuring 7" x 5". Generally good but all are CURLED or curling (SEE IMAGES), six photos with scattered faint stains; three with more moderate staining. Program: 4to. [28] pp., illustrated with reproductions of photographs. Original printed wrappers (trifle wear around edges), stapled as issued. "CELEBRATING WHITE SUPREMACY" IN SAN ANTONIO TEXAS.

Offered here is a unique collection of original photographs of San Antonio debutantes, all wearing characteristically elaborate Coronation gowns that were accompanied by incredibly long trains (some of which can measure up to 18 feet long, and with the dresses may weigh up to 85 pounds). Months of secrecy surrounded the royal robe fittings and headpiece selections. The coronation of the Queen, who was chosen annually by the all-white members of the Order of the Alamo, was -- and is -- a major event.

"Fiesta San Antonio" (as it is now known) began in 1891 to honor the memory of those who fought at the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto. It has become a ten-day festival held annually in April with over 100 events. Fiesta has been bitterly criticized for its association with exclusively white organizations that for decades have been intimately involved with it. Indeed, some claim that Fiesta "celebrates white supremacy." The all-white Order of the Alamo and the Texas Cavaliers hold rituals in the Alamo church, and crown royalty from their own membership "who preside over brown subjects." Lilliana Saldana has stated that "Anglo elite place themselves as sort of cultural guardians of the city of San Antonio, which is why they have this fake monarchy, and they have pseudo military."

As we learn from Michaele Thurgood Haynes' "Dressing Up Debutantes: Pageantry and Glitz in Texas" (1998): Fiesta San Antonio "is the annual debutante pageant presented by a men’s social organization, the Order of the Alamo, and referred to by participants simply as Coronation. The twenty-six young women are living out a fantasy held dear by many little girls -- to be a "fairy princess" in a beautiful dress sparkling in the spotlight of affection and attention. Most girls never get to be the princess, or even a duchess, but in San Antonio the fantasy can be played out if one not only has the discretionary income to purchase the required costumes and props but, more importantly, is also a member of the Anglo aristocracy. The term "aristocrat" is specifically used with its connotations of consanguineous or affinal kinship that are not found in the terms "elite" or "upper class." The queen and most of the other court members have royal genealogies with mothers, aunts, and grandmothers having held similar positions. Unlike beauty pageants, in which young women are chosen on the basis of personal characteristics, [San Antonio Fiesta] Coronation royalty hold ascribed positions. [...] Coronation is an overwhelmingly Anglo and upper-class event in a city with a more than 60 percent Hispanic population."

THE 1971 FIESTA: Many (but not all) of the photos are of participants in the 1971 "Court of Gardens." The San Antonio Express reported that: "This year for the first time, there are two mistresses of the robes. Mrs. Wilson Carter Jr. and Mrs. Frederic Oppenheimer worked together to carefully coordinate the theme, color and suitability of each gown for the young woman who will wear it. Handling the heavy trains is quite a feat, and each duchess must make a sweeping bow as the climax of her brief moment in the spotlight. Weeks of practice beforehand make a graceful production" (18 April 1971, p. 101).

But there are other decorative themes besides Gardens, leading us to postulate that other the photographs may also include Fiesta Coronations besides that of 1971. We find one oriental ensemble, a Franciscan monk (Court of Our Heritage 1972?), a field of fleurs-de-lis and crossed swords (ditto?), a child swinging at a pinata (ditto?), a telephone, and two gowns depicting playing cards. The 21 photographs show 20 women wearing 20 costumes (one woman is depicted twice, once facing the camera, the other facing away). The versos of several of the photos are captioned with the subject's first and last name. The collection includes (but is certainly not limited to) the following named royalty: Mary Yturra, a Noble Visitor to the Court: the Duchess of Exotic Lilies crowning the Enchanted Pond; Elizabeth ("Beth") Amen, an in-town duchess of the Armed Forces symbolizing America the Beautiful; Marian Law, an in-town duchess of Versailles, evoking the grandeur of the Parterre Garden; One young woman was not selected, namely Madelon Graham of Beaumont, TX. (SOURCES: San Antonio Express and News, 28 March 1971, p. 60, and 11 April 1972, p. 59).

TOGETHER WITH: a rare copy of the original 24-page 1971 Program entitled "The Order of the Alamo presents The Court of the Gardens" (April 21, 1971). This fascinating book presents images of 12 "Noble Visitors to the Court" and 14 "Members of the Royal Household" (all of San Antonio) along with brief biographies of each. The published images prove that our photographs may be unpublished out takes from the same photo sessions taken at Billo Matthews Smith's studio.

NOT IN WORLDCAT. Unbelievably, no copy of any work containing the phrase "Court of Gardens" is listed in the UT San Antonio Library catalogue.

See: Jan Jarboe Russell, "Fit for a Queen" in: Texas Monthly (April 1994). (Inventory #: 4130)