Two weeks until Fat Tuesday and counting. Here's a look back to Mardi Gras in the middle of the last century, with videos from 1956 and 1941.

1956. This video combines footage by an unknown shooter with a batch of excellent still photos taken by the late John W. Mizenko, father artist Mar Dore; by coincidence, both the film and stills were shot at nearly the same place and time, at the 1956 Krewe of Mid-City Parade, near the Miller-Wohls Department Store (in the 900 block of Canal Street, between Dauphine and Burgundy, as far as I can tell) and other spots along the route. The video includes voice over narration, some of it by Mar Dore herself, including personal reminiscences about her father.

1941. This one has no audio, so just listen to 'OZ while you watch! It runs about 9-and-a-half minutes, a bit long, so feel free to skip around.

• Beginning: Parade of Nor, 2-22-1941, a children's parade.
• 3:40: Krewe of Venus parade, 2-23-1941, first ever parade for an all-female krewe.
• 5:50: Mardi Gras Day, 2-25-1941, including some shots from the steps of Gallier Hall.

FWIW, I didn't notice any racial diversity in these clips (though many of the crowd shots are grainy and indistinct). I guess I'm not surprised, given that they're artifacts from the segregation era. In that sense, Mardi Gras looks rather different today.