Memorial umbrella in honor of Mary “Grams” Braud Harris

Various Baby Doll masking groups made memorial objects to commemorate Mary Harris’s life, one filled with love and devoted to caring for family and friends. This umbrella, featuring praying hands and an embellished photograph of Harris at the Krewe of Thoth parade, was made by Kourtenay “Baby Doll Sweet Butter” Roberts from the Original Black Seminole Baby Dolls.

Enslaved Africans carried an understanding of the ceremonial and functional roles of the umbrella to the New World. In Africa, kings and chiefs used extremely large, exquisitely decorated umbrellas both in daily life and for formal processions. In New Orleans, parasols were used of course to shelter from rain, but also as protection against the sun’s rays. The ceremonial use of umbrellas to strut to brass band music while second-line dancing has become one of the iconic images of New Orleans.