Miss Alice Keighley

Alice Edith Keighley (1907-2001) was a lifelong resident of uptown New Orleans. For many years in the mid-twentieth century she worked in the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, retiring as head of the bindery department.   In 1969, she donated her personal social papers to Tulane University, with later additions through 1987.  These are now held in the Louisiana Research Collection as Manuscripts Collection 849.

Miss Keighley carefully preserved her invitations and other items of social ephemera, correspondence and clippings, over many decades.  The collection is predominantly related to New Orleans Carnival but also includes a scrapbook called a debut book, covering her social events of 1928-1929.

Carnival krewes represented in this collection include Achaeans, Apollo, Athenians, Atlanteans, Comus, Harlequins, Mithras, Momus, Mystery, Mystic Club, Nippon, Elves of Oberon, Odysseus, Omardz, Osiris, Les Pierrettes, Prophets of Persia, Proteus, Rex, and Twelfth Night Revelers.

Numerous New Orleanians whose papers are held in LaRC kept samples of the invitations they received, and these are included in their personal papers. (Search LaRC archival collections in the classic catalog, using the subject heading "Carnival--Louisiana--New Orleans") but Alice Keighley's papers are probably the largest grouping in LaRC of Carnival ball invitations directed to an individual. 

Captions:  top: 1924 Mithras ball invitation, inscribed by Miss Keighley: "My first ball.  Had a gorgeous time.  Same one called me out to dance and gave me a silver bracelet."  2nd: 1972 centennial Momus invitation.  3rd:  society clipping about debutantes of the season (1928-1929).  last: handmade placecard for Miss Alice Keighley also from debut book.