The St. Louis Veiled Prophet Celebration: Volume 1: Power on Parade, 1877-1995

The Veiled Prophet organization has been a vital institution in St. Louis for over a century, founded in 1878 by a group of prominent businessmen. This study explores the social and cultural functions of the organization's annual celebration, the Veiled Prophet parade and ball, and traces the shifts that occurred over the years in its cultural meaning and importance. The celebration originated as the business elite's response to the St. Louis general strike of 1877 and was intended to awe the masses with its symbolic show of power. It continued to include educational and historical elements until the 1960s, when it began to resemble the commercialized leisure that was increasingly becoming a part of everyday life. In the 1990s, the members began to view the celebration as a way to unite the St. Louis community, with all of its diversity, rather than as a chance to boost the city or teach cultural values.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 30 May 2022
Publisher: University of Missouri Press

The Veiled Prophet organization has held a significant place in St. Louis for over a century. Established in March 1878 by a group of prominent St. Louis businessmen, the organization was modeled after the New Orleans Carnival society, the Mystick Krewe of Comus. In his book, The St. Louis Veiled Prophet Celebration, Thomas Spencer delves into the social and cultural significance of the organization's annual celebration, the Veiled Prophet parade and ball, and explores the changes that have taken place over the years in its cultural meaning and importance. While scholars have studied the more diverse parades of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, there has been limited research on the elite-dominated parades of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This study aims to shed light on how pluralistic parades ceased to exist in St. Louis and why the upper echelon felt it was crucial to end them. Spencer demonstrates that the celebration originated as a response by the business elite to the St. Louis general strike of 1877. Symbolically taking control of the streets, the elites presented St. Louis history and American history by tracing the triumphs of great men—men who happened to be the Veiled Prophet members' ancestors. The parade, therefore, was designed to awe the masses and induce passivity through its symbolic display of power. The members believed that by attracting visitors from surrounding communities and providing advice on morals and social issues, the parades contributed to the economic and cultural growth of St. Louis. They also saw the parades as a means of distracting spectators from less desirable behaviors such as drinking and carousing.

From 1900 to 1965, the celebration maintained educational and historical elements, but gradually began to resemble the commercialized version it is today. The Veiled Prophet parade and ball have become a hallmark of St. Louis culture, attracting thousands of visitors each year and playing a vital role in the city's heritage and identity.

Weight: 351g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780826222589