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Photo Courtesy of The Sloane Collection

The Baby Dolls are an Iconic Mardi Gras Tradition

January 28, 2015 by: Kim Vaz-Deville

Lifelong New Orleanian Millie Charles, best-known as the founding dean of SUNO’s school of social work, was born in 1924. She and her friends use to wait with great anticipation for the costumed group of revelers known as the Baby Dolls to pass their way on Mardi Gras. They stationed themselves at Gertrude Geddes Willis Funeral Home. “The Baby Dolls would come with the Indians. They were large women [i.e., not skinny] who looked very serious. They wore beautiful well-made costumes that had la...

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