Howard Philips Smith

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Howard Philips Smith
Born (1956-05-29) 29 May 1956 (age 68)
Houston, Texas
OccupationAuthor
NationalityAmerican
Genre
  • non-fiction and fiction

Howard Philips Smith (born 1956) is an American writer, novelist, and photographer, known primarily for his historical works, which focus on expanding the scope of gay history, especially in New Orleans. His books include Unveiling the Muse: The Lost History of Gay Carnival in New Orleans and A Sojourn in Paradise: Jack Robinson in 1950s New Orleans.

Contents

Education

Smith grew up in Oloh, Mississippi, a small rural community near Hattiesburg. He attended the University of Southern Mississippi, graduating cum laude with majors in history and French. A Fulbright Scholarship (1977) brought him to France for study, where he attended the Université de Bourgogne, Dijon. [1]

After teaching English in Bordeaux, Smith was drawn back to New Orleans where he spent almost a decade during the 1980s. Here he collected notes for a novel and seriously pursued photography. [2] In 1986, he moved to Los Angeles where his photography gained some notoriety and by 1995, he was included in the exhibition P.L.A.N.: Photography Los Angeles Now, curated by Robert Sobiezek and Tim Wride at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. [3]

Career

In 2000, Smith began work on the first history of the gay carnival krewes of New Orleans, an important part of the celebration seldom included in the traditional narrative of the city’s carnival history. Unveiling the Muse: The Lost History of Gay Carnival in New Orleans was published in 2017 by the University Press of Mississippi [4] [5] and explores the origins of gay carnival and how the gay krewes were formed amid the repressive 1950s. [6]

In 2020, A Sojourn in Paradise: Jack Robinson in 1950s New Orleans was published, a look at the work of photographer Jack Robinson when he lived in the city. These photographs reveal much about this time, especially the emerging gay community and the unique art scene. [7] Smith has published one work of fiction entitled The Cult of the Mask; Or, the Strange and Delectable Tale of Life Among the Sybarites, [8] which explores the subterranean gay community of New Orleans during the early 1980s. In addition, he has also compiled the first history of the Southern Decadence festival, an annual gay and lesbian celebration at the end of August, begun in 1972 as a friendly get-together in the Treme neighborhood. [9] [10] [11]

In 2021, associate professor Robert Azzarello of Southern University of New Orleans contextualized the first gay historical publications of the city in a review essay in the Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association and cited two of Smith's works as important contributions. [12]

Publications

Related Research Articles

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Mardi Gras is the final day of Carnival ; it thus falls on the day before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday", reflecting the practice of the last night of consuming rich, fatty foods in preparation for the Christian fasting season of Lent, during which the consumption of such foods is avoided.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krewe</span> Group of dancers in a carnival parade

A krewe is a social organization that stages parades and/or balls for the Carnival season. The term is best known for its association with Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, but is also used in other Carnival celebrations throughout Louisiana and along the Gulf of Mexico, such as the Gasparilla Pirate Festival in Tampa, Florida, Springtime Tallahassee, and Krewe of Amalee in DeLand, Florida with the Mardi Gras on Mainstreet Parade as well as in La Crosse, Wisconsin and at the Saint Paul Winter Carnival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mistick Krewe of Comus</span> New Orleans Mardi Gras Carnival krewe

The Mistick Krewe of Comus (MKC), founded in 1856, is the oldest extant New Orleans, Louisiana Carnival Krewe, the longest to continually parade with few interruptions from 1856 to 1991, and continues to hold a tableau ball for its members and guests, to date. Initially its public facade was The Pickwick Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rex (krewe)</span> New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe

The Rex Organization, commonly referred to simply as Rex, is a New Orleans Carnival krewe which stages one of the city's most celebrated parades on Mardi Gras Day. Rex is Latin for 'king', and Rex reigns as "The King of Carnival".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mardi Gras in New Orleans</span> Annual carnival celebration in New Orleans, Louisiana

The holiday of Mardi Gras is celebrated in southern Louisiana, including the city of New Orleans. Celebrations are concentrated for about two weeks before and through Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday, the season is known as Carnival and begins on 12th Night, January 6th, and extends until midnight before Ash Wednesday. Club, or Krewe, balls start soon after, though most are extremely private, with their Kings and Queens coming from wealthy old families and their courts consisting of the season's debutantes. Most of the high society Krewes do not stage parades. As Fat Tuesday gets nearer, the parades start in earnest. Usually there is one major parade each day ; many days have several large parades. The largest and most elaborate parades take place the last five days of the Mardi Gras season. In the final week, many events occur throughout New Orleans and surrounding communities, including parades and balls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Decadence</span> Annual LGBT event in New Orleans, Louisiana

Southern Decadence is an annual, six-day, LGBTQ-based event held in New Orleans, Louisiana during Labor Day weekend, culminating in a parade through the French Quarter on the Sunday before Labor Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of New Orleans</span>

The culture of New Orleans is unique among, and distinct from, that of other cities in the United States, including other Southern cities. New Orleans has been called the "northernmost Caribbean city" and "perhaps the most hedonistic city in the United States". Over the years, New Orleans has had a dominant influence on American and global culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krewe of Bacchus</span> Group in the New Orleans Mardi Gras

Krewe of Bacchus is a New Orleans Mardi Gras super krewe.

Jack Robinson Jr. was an American photographer and stained glass designer. Robinson was freelance photographer for Vogue and The New York Times from the 1950s to the early 1970s before he left New York to return home to the American South and pursue a career as a stained glass designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mardi Gras in the United States</span> Celebration

Mardi Gras in the United States is celebrated in a number of cities and regions in the country. Most of these places trace their Mardi Gras celebrations to French, Spanish, and other Catholic colonial influences on the settlements over their history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Sexton</span>

Richard Sexton is a fine art and media photographer, author, teacher, and critic of the urban built environment with a studio based in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is best known for his architectural photography publications and exhibitions, which have been shown internationally. Sexton was born in 1954 in Atlanta, GA, and currently resides in both New Orleans, Louisiana, and Walton County, Florida.

The Krewe of Yuga was the first gay Carnival krewe in New Orleans, founded in 1958 by members of the gay community. Costumed parties to view the Krewe of Carrollton parade in Uptown were transformed into a krewe with a Queen reigning over the festivities, a ball captain, and sometimes a King. Emulating the format established by traditional Carnival krewes and their courts, such as the Krewe of Proteus and the Mystick Krewe of Comus, the Krewe of Yuga also declared itself a royal krewe with its Yuga Regina. The queen was always a gay man in drag and these celebrations mark a significant point in the history of the city. The Krewe is referenced in the 2010 documentary The Sons of Tennessee Williams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Pickwick Club</span> New Orleans private gentlemens club

The Pickwick Club is a private gentlemen's club in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1857, The Pickwick Club and the Mistick Krewe were originally one group comprising two organizations. After The Boston Club, The Pickwick Club is the second oldest remaining in the city.

Krewe of Okeanos is a New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe.

Krewe of King Arthur is a coed New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe.

The Krewe of Armeinius is one of the private groups, krewes, that celebrate the annual Mardi Gras festival in New Orleans.

<i>The Sons of Tennessee Williams</i> 2010 American historical documentary film

The Sons of Tennessee Williams is a 2010 American historical documentary film produced and directed by Tim Wolff. The film spans five decades documenting the gay carnival balls in New Orleans, and the efforts of the gay community to celebrate Mardi Gras, without being discriminated against and without fear of police intervention. It stars Charles Maddox, Tommy Dietsch, George Roth, Don Stratton, Jimmy Keyes, Mike Moreau, John Henry Bogie, Albert Carey, Bianca Del Rio and additional krewe club members that share their memories through interviews and archival footage.

Henri Schindler is an American Mardi Gras historian and float designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MATT</span> American cartoonist Charles Edward Kerbs (1940–2002)

Charles Edward Kerbs, better known by his pen name MATT, was an American artist, actor, and playwright active in the late twentieth century, known for his erotic illustrations.

References

  1. ↑ "Howard Philips Smith | University Press of Mississippi". www.upress.state.ms.us. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Howard Philips Smith, "Unveiling the Muse: The Lost History of Gay…". newbooksnetwork.com. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  3. ↑ Greene, David A. “P.L.A.N.: Photography Los Angeles Now,” Los Angeles Reader, September 8, 1995; 17, 22.
  4. ↑ Larson, Susan. “Absolutely Fabulous: Howard Philips Smith’s Unveiling the Muse," The New Orleans Advocate, February 1, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  5. ↑ Carson, Kat."Unveiling the Muse Explores the History of Gay Carnival Krewes," New Orleans Gambit, January 29, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Nonfiction Book Review: Unveiling the Muse: The Lost History of Gay Carnival in New Orleans by Howard Philips Smith". December 2017.
  7. ↑ Naugle, Scott. “A Sojourn in Paradise: Jack Robinson in 1950s New Orleans by Howard Philips Smith,” The Clarion-Ledger/Hattiesburg American, August 7, 2020.
  8. ↑ "LIBRARY 729723 Editions - Publisher of New Queer Literatures". www.library729723.com. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  9. ↑ D'Addario, John. "From Trivia to Triumph, new book details evolution of Southern Decadence," The New Orleans Advocate, August 23, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  10. ↑ Ryan, Hugh. "New Orleans Decadence Is a Labor Day Celebration of Queer Debauchery," them., September 1, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  11. ↑ Verleger, Christopher. "Southern Decadence in New Orleans," Edge Media Network, August 14, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  12. ↑ Azzarello, Robert. Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association, vol. 62, no. 1, 2021, pp. 87–94. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
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