#TBT Mummers: 10 photos of robots, feathers, firemen and more historic New Year’s craziness
We hope you’re enjoying the Mummers Parade today. As you may know, this Philadelphia tradition dates back to the 17th century. That’s a lot of parades and a lot of drunken revelry. Because it’s Thursday and because Mummers are insanely photogenic, Billy Penn presents a very specialof #TBT: The Mummers Edition. All photos are from the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, via Temple University Libraries.
1890s: A portrayal of the typical clown suit worn by Mummers in the late 19th century.
January 1, 1925: Mummers carry three large quilts down Broad Street.
January, 3, 1933: Mummer Sam Molano stands on some real tall stilts.
1936: George German plays the “Mechanical Man” for the Lobster Club. He was supposed to be demonstrating the mechanical man of the future (we’re still waiting, though!).
December 19, 1937: Mummers prepare costumes that not surprisingly include a significant amount of feathers.
January 1, 1943: James Durning is named champion leader for the String Band division. He has symbols for the Air Force on his costume.
January 1, 1944: The crowd needs to stand atop baskets to catch that sweet Mummer strutting.
January 9, 1964: Mummers don’t actually retire. They just move to Palm Beach, Fla., and do what they do best in a warmer location.
July 6, 1973: Northeast Strutters dress up like firemen.
November 1, 1977: You can’t strut all the time. Mummer takes the escalator at The Gallery.
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