Color photograph of two men in tuxedos standing on a stage in front of a large painted backdrop depicting the French Opera House. The set includes a red carpet and white balustrades, giving the appearance of a grand entrance. Marcus Neustadter Jr. and Carl Duvigneaud at the Original Illinois Club ball, 1968. Photograph by Celeste Broadway.

Marcus Neustadter Jr. and Carl Duvigneaud at the Original Illinois Club ball, 1968. Photograph by Celeste Broadway.

Black-and-white photograph of a line of women in gowns and tiaras, wearing long white gloves, dancing in formation with partners dressed in costumes. The audience is visible in the background watching the ball performance. Original Illinois Club debutantes and members dancing the Chicago Glide, 1968. Photograph by Porter’s Studio.

Original Illinois Club debutantes and members dancing the Chicago Glide, 1968. Photograph by Porter’s Studio.

Verlie Bright, Queen of the Young Men Illinois Club, 1930. Photograph by Villard Paddio.

Close-up of a gold medallion on a chain against a red background. The medallion reads “Othello The Moor of Venice, 1977” and shows a raised image of a man in Renaissance clothing pointing outward. Member’s medallion, Original Illinois Club, 1977.

Member’s medallion, Original Illinois Club, 1977

Color photograph of a Mardi Gras court. A queen in a white gown with a long red train stands on a platform surrounded by maids of honor in white dresses with feathered headpieces, holding bouquets. Pages in gold costumes and young attendants sit at the front of the stage. A large painted backdrop of a stylized regal figure dominates the background. Court of the Young Men Illinois Club, 1974.

Court of the Young Men Illinois Club, 1974

Black-and-white photograph of two men in tuxedos smiling and talking. One man is holding a certificate of merit from the City of New Orleans decorated with small illustrations. Carl Duvigneaud, Ball Chairman of the Original Illinois Club, presented with a certificate of recognition by New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu, 1970s.

Carl Duvigneaud, Ball Chairman of the Original Illinois Club, presented with a certificate of recognition by New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu, 1970s

Origins of New Orleans Black Carnival Society: The Story of the Illinois Clubs

Thu, January 29, 2026 - Mon, March 15, 2027

For more than a century, the Original Illinois Club (est. 1895) and the Young Men Illinois Club (est. 1926) have shaped a vital but under-recognized tradition in Black New Orleans Mardi Gras culture. These clubs upheld elegance, dignity, and community pride through their dazzling debutante balls. Long before the Black New Orleans Carnival traditions of the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club and the Baby Dolls were household names, Illinois Club royalty were celebrated in Black newspapers and family albums alike.

Though segregation denied them access to traditionally white venues, the clubs flourished in union halls and gymnasiums. Stunning costumes, elaborate backdrops, and courtly rituals mirrored and redefined the traditions of old-line krewes like Rex and Comus. Legacy families like Baranco, Rhodes, Duncan, and Bagneris embodied generational Black excellence that found expression in these royal courts.

This exhibition, which will open in the centennial year of the Young Men Illinois Club, will feature rare photographs, including the first Young Men Illinois Club court in 1927, heirloom gowns, regal costumes, and for the first time in decades, parts of the magnificent original set of the French Opera House from the1968 Original Illinois Club ball, hand-painted by Schmit Brothers scenic designers