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Newspaper
The Mobile Item
Location
Mobile, Alabama, United States of America
Date
Feb 22, 1914
Page
7
Monday night marks the reveal of the Infant Mystics pageant as skilled artisans unveil luminous carnival floats. The article praises the artist’s vision and craftsmanship, noting Float No 1’s stark lighthouse scene with foaming crests and a towering wave, setting a solemn tone for the grand display to follow.
The Infant Mystics parade forms on St Jeane Ore reneceate route through downtown with a countermarch on Government to Broad and Claiborne to Dauphin. Afterward a parade reception and committee details at German Relief Hall feature J G Marty as general chairman and multiple badge groups with extensive lists of names. The float scene describes a moonlit Egyptian night setting with ornate columns and floral adornments.
A carnival float depicts Antony before Actium with a Roman camp and arch. Antony, lovestruck and doomed, contemplates defeat as Cleopatra retreats to a mausoleum. Antony later returns to Cleopatra and kills himself. tragedy peaks as love and empire crumble.
The float depicting Cleopatra's demise shows her with Antony and Octavius in a somber tableau. Builders John J. Winter, William Kylan, and others crafted the floats under an unnamed designer, turning the parade into a mystery-shrouded, artisanal display.
Designers shift from carnival motifs to history with Cleopatra the Sorceress of the Nile as this year’s Infant Mystics theme. The eight floats portray Cleopatra’s life and Antony, blending Roman Greek influence with Egyptian mystery in accurate, atmospheric depictions.
The article recalls the death of Alexander the Great and the generals’ scramble for power as they built the Pharos Lighthouse on the island. It notes the 66 by 66 foot base, its grand height, and its destruction by a later earthquake, framed as a prologue to a pageant about Cleopatra the Sorceress and the era’s drama.
The article describes Cleopatra’s portrayal in a pageant float showing her as a powerful yet human figure. It highlights her charm wit and political impact as seen by Roman poets and notes the float’s Egyptian decor including a marble dais porphyry columns sphinx and Isis fires. The piece calls No 2 a stately beautiful float.
A historic float portrays Cleopatra seeking Caesar in Alexandria. A servant shrouds her in carpeted disguise to pass Pelusium and reach Rome s ally in Egypt s throne. The scene shows Cleopatra enthroned then briefly deposed as Caesar yields to her charms.
The Temple of Osiris float contrasts the prior Cleopatra and Caesar display with a serene white and green design. It features sacred hieroglyphics, sphinx figures, and winged sun motifs carefully arranged to convey timeless Nile lore.
Float No. 5 Cleopatra is shown summoned by Marc Antony at Tarsus and sailing a gilded barge up the River Cydnus. The pageant depicts Antony’s surrender to Cleopatra and her influence, noting the barge’s gold canopy and pearllike oars while critics praised restrained mechanical effects.
At Actium Octavius attacked Antony and Cleopatra's fleet. Cleopatra fled in a ship followed by sixty Egyptian vessels. Antony leapt from his warship into a light carns and pursued. Many captains and vessels were set ablaze.
The document lists King Hermann H. Masai Meyer and Queen Elia Packer Blackscher with a royal entourage. Ladies in waiting Celia Webb Elise Hall Maids of Honor Marguerite Festorazzi Barrett Hilda Broadwood Beth Hagan Margaret Horn Dunater Annetta McMillan Marie Clifton Lucille Rush. Knights include William Ross Adrian Taylor Tom Nolton Haywood Hunter John W Frank Ellis Herndon Smith Lamar McLeod John R Posey Jos Bibb Cecil Walkley Walter Boyles. Pages to King and Queen Billy Lott James Little Marion Wise Selwyn Turner.>tag
A palace scene blends Greek, Roman, and Egyptian styles with a sword poised over a man’s chest. A giant Egyptian tiger stands in a cell as water trickles over golden leaves while imperial purple decorates the table where Antony faces death. A sphinx and sacred lotus adorn the walls as eight columns give majesty.
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