Battle of Flowers Parade on Film

In a final blog entry dedicated to the history of Fiesta and the Battle of Flowers Parade, we are excited to highlight some footage of past parades contained in the library’s collection of Battle of Flowers Association records. The earliest film is believed to show the 1928 parade, and a second reel dates from 1930. The remaining footage shows each parade from most years between 1952 and 1986.

We have extracted a few minutes of the 1971 and 1976 parades to show here. The clips were selected based on the personal interests of some members of the DRT Library staff. Diane Temple (nee Cermin), mother of Stephanie Boothby, reference librarian, can be seen in the 1971 parade as the head majorette for Highlands High School. Leslie Stapleton, DRT Library director, participated in the 1976 parade as a second grader on the float for St. George Episcopal School.

The DRT Library wishes to thank Matson Multi Media and Audio Specialists, Inc., of San Antonio for donating their time and expertise to transfer all of the the parade footage from film to DVD.

done

done

Please note that the playback speed of these videos is double the speed of the original films.

Click here for a full citation of the documents and images included in this entry.

Battle of Flowers Parade, Participants and Floats

Mary Louise Price, Duchess of the Laurels, and Josephine Nix, attendant sprite, in the 1925 Battle of Flowers Parade.

Throughout the history of the Battle of Flowers Parade, participants have gone all out in elaborately adorning their vehicles – be they carriages, wagons, bicycles, horses, or cars – and floats with colorful flowers, both real and artificial. For example, in describing the first parade in 1891, the San Antonio Light noted that there were “over 100 carriages and other vehicles, all gaily decorated and many containing decorations of real artistic merit.” In the early years of the parade, many participants were individuals and groups of family and friends who rode in their own vehicles. Over the years, however, community groups and organizations increasingly comprised the majority of participants. Moreover, in 1909 John B. Carrington established the Order of the Alamo, which remains responsible for selecting each year’s queen, princess, and court of duchesses. Each chosen lady rides a float in the parade and wears an elegant gown with a lengthy train.

 Below are some photographs of participants in the Battle of Flowers Parade during the first decades of the twentieth century. With so many wonderful images in the archives, it was difficult to select just a handful for the blog!

A baby in a decorated carriage, 1905.

Two women in a decorated carriage, circa 1900-1910.

Two women with their drivers, circa 1900-1910.

An airplane float, 1917.

A car decorated with flowers, circa 1910-1920.

Dorothy McCampbell, Duchess of the Coreopsis, and Margaret Basse, attendant sprite, in the 1925 parade.

For information about the Order of the Alamo, see the five volume History of the Order of the Alamo, available at the DRT Library. These books list the officers, directors, and committee members for each year from the organization’s founding in 1909 to 1989. Also included is information about each court selected by the Order of the Alamo, including photographs of each queen, princess, and duchess in her dress.

Click here for a full citation of the documents and images included in this entry.

Battle of Flowers Parade

Battle of Flowers Parade in Alamo Plaza, circa 1890s.

With Fiesta taking place, throughout this week we’ll be highlighting some treasures from our collections related to this San Antonio celebration. The DRT Library has many books, vertical files, photographs, and archival materials that document and explore the history of Fiesta and the Battle of Flowers Parade from their inception to the present day.

The Alamo decorated for the Battle of Flowers Parade, circa 1890s.

Chief among our archival collections is the Battle of Flowers Association Records, which contains the non-current records of the organization deemed to possess enduring historic value. This collection is one of the largest held by the library and contains minutes, rosters, yearbooks, reports, correspondence, financial documents, printed material, drawings, photographs, motion picture film, videotape, audio tape, and artifacts generated and gathered by elected officials and various committee chairmen in the Association. Researchers can find additional archival materials relating to the Battle of Flowers Parade and Fiesta in several other collections, including the Reynolds Andricks Papers, 1935-1977; DRT 3 Fiesta San Antonio Collection, 1904-2007; and the Order of the Alamo Records, 1909-1990.

 

C.M. McAmis, photographed in a studio, riding the bicycle he decorated for the 1893 parade. (SC13162)

For this entry, we’re focusing on materials from the early history of the Battle of Flowers Parade. The first parade was held in 1891 due to the convergence of several factors, namely the desire of some San Antonians to replicate the flower festivals they had observed in Mexico City and in Nice, France; the movement in the city to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21; and the interest in marking the two hundredth anniversary of the settling of San Antonio by several Native American tribes. According to historian Judith Berg Sobré, “in spite of these vague plans, however, no concrete arrangements were made until the announcement of the impending visit of President Benjamin Harrison.” This first “visit to San Antonio by a sitting U.S. chief executive…galvanized the flower-battle enthusiasts to organize their own procession” (155-157).

Front of an invitation to the reception for President Benjamin Harrison.

Inside of the invitation.

The parade organizers – largely a group of well-to-do women who were active community volunteers – decided that the event would begin at 5:00 pm on April 20, not April 21, in honor of the president’s visit. This “would be long after the president’s departure,” writes Sobré, “but his schedule was too tight at any rate to permit him to witness such an entertainment.” Despite his absence, “the planners were counting on many visitors flocking to San Antonio that day and staying around to shop, so that the parade would have a large audience when the stores closed” (157). Furthermore, the planners decided that the parade would “form just off Alamo Plaza, pass through the plaza to Commerce Street, circle Main Plaza, and then return to Alamo Plaza. There, the [parade] marshals would divide the carriages into two columns, which would circle the plaza in opposite directions so that their occupants could throw flowers at each other” (158-159). The first parade was postponed due to rain and took place on April 24.

Two pages from the Official Program for the Battle of Flowers Parade, held April 21 and 22, 1899, showing the events on each day.

While initially the Battle of Flowers Parade was unique in that no larger festival occurred in conjunction with it, within a couple of years this changed as local organizations began hosting events associated with the event. Today, the Battle of Flowers Parade is the largest parade in Fiesta and is second only to the Tournament of Roses parade as the largest parade in the country. Additionally, the Battle of Flowers Association has been exclusively female group for most of its history, and the parade is the only parade in the country that is planned and directed completely by women.

Battle of Flowers pin, 1895.

References and Further Reading

Judith Berg Sobré, “Battle of Flowers Parade: ‘Fun with Flora,’” in San Antonio on Parade: Six Historic Festivals, by Judith Berg Sobre (2003).

Click here for a full citation of the documents and images included in this entry.

DRT Library Receives Battle of Flowers Parade Slides

 

From left to right, Sister Michael Brandt, OSB, Executive Director of Benedictine Ministries; Leslie Stapleton, DRT Library Director; Sister Bernadine Reyes, OSB, Prioress; Caitlin Donnelly, DRT Library Archivist.

On March 23, Library Director Leslie Stapleton and Archivist Caitlin Donnelly were pleased to receive a donation of 122 slides showing various Battle of Flowers parades between approximately 1945 and 1970. These materials were donated by Sister Michael Brandt, OSB, of the Benedictine Sisters in Boerne, Texas, in memory of her late uncle, Mr. Aurelius C. Lenert. The slides need to be processed and housed in appropriate acid-free containers before they can be made accessible to researchers interested in learning more about the history of the Battle of Flowers Parade.

 

One of the Battle of Flowers Parade slides donated.

The DRT Library is the repository of the non-current records of the Battle of Flowers Association. This sizable collection contains minutes, rosters, yearbooks, reports, correspondence, financial documents, printed material, drawings, photographs, motion picture film, videotape, audio tape, and artifacts generated and gathered by elected officials and various committee chairmen in the Association. Moreover, additional materials relating to the Battle of Flowers Parade and Fiesta can be found in the library’s Reynolds Andricks Papers, 1935-1977; DRT 3 Fiesta San Antonio Collection, 1904-2007; Order of the Alamo Records, 1909-1990; and various other archival collections. The slides donated by Sister Michael complement these materials and help preserve the history of an important San Antonio event.

Thank you, Sister Michael, for your generous donation to the DRT Library!

The images in this post were provided by Mary Anne Oehler, Director of Development, Congregation of Benedictine Sisters.