Tulane University's Louisiana Research Collection (LaRC) preserves possibly the largest collection of New Orleans Carnival paper and ephemera, such as invitations, dance cards, call out cards, printed float plates and bulletins, and original float and costume designs. Perhaps most notable among our Carnival collection are the more than five thousand original designs for Carnival floats and costumes we preserve. Many of these are from the "Golden Age" of Carnival and feature the work of noted designers such as Jennie Wilde, B. A. Wikstrom, and Charles Briton.
LaRC also preserves the works of more contemporary designers, including Patricia Hardin, Olga Peters, and designer and noted Carnival historian Henri Schindler. We are in the process of putting our entire Carnival design collection online and hope to complete the project by the end of 2012.