Society of Martha Washington

The Society of Martha Washington was formed in 1939, in Laredo, Texas. The Society hosts the Colonial Ball, which is an annual debutante ball where young women make their debut into society. The Colonial Ball is held at the Laredo Civic Center and is a part of a citywide festival called the Washington's Birthday Celebration, which takes place in February every year.[1] The Society of Martha Washington helps Laredo present an image of “racial and national harmony” by working in conjunction with the Princess Pocahontas Council, and the Abrazo Children.[2]

Membership

Membership of the Society is exclusive, yet there is no discrimination based on race or ethnicity.[1] Unlike the debutante balls from the early 1900s up north, where racial and ethnic differences were implied as a definition of social class, Modern Laredo's elite consists of bicultural individuals.[3] The Society was founded with bicultural roots. As a result, a good number of the girls who are presented are Latinas.[4] Members who are chosen for the Society usually come from a small group of old families.[5]

The pageant

The society chooses two prominent members of Laredo's society to portray President George and Martha Dandridge Washington. The debutantes that are presented every year as well as their escorts, either have family in the Society or are invited as guests. The participants portray contemporaries based on the story line, which changes every year, that come out to honor the President and his First Lady.[6]

Debutantes

Each debutant is dressed in an elaborate hand-made colonial dress. Color options must be approved by the Mistress of Wardrobe. The dress is composed of several parts which include: a corset, bloomers, a cage, a petticoat, and finally the dress itself. Most dresses are custom made in a collaboration between the debutant and the dressmaker. Linda Leyendecker Gutierrez, a gifted designer and experienced professional, is the official dressmaker for the pageant. Silks, satins, and velvets fabricated all over the world are uniquely hand picked and adorned with all types of beads, lace, and ribbon to create the perfect colonial debutante dress. The dresses can weigh up to 80 pounds (36 kg) because of the tremendous amounts of intricate beading.[7]

See also
  • Las Marthas, a 2014 documentary film about two women taking part in the Society of Martha Washington ball

References
  1. Kendall, Diana E. The Power of Good Deeds: Privileged Women and the Social Reproduction of the Upper Class. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2002. Print.
  2. Young, Elliott. "Red Men, Princess Pocahontas, and George Washington: Harmonizing Race Relations in Laredo at the Turn of the Century." The Western Historical Quarterly 29.1 (1998): 48-85. Print.
  3. Elinse Chenier “Class, Gender, and the Social Standard: The Montreal Junior League, 1912–1939” The Canadian Historical Review 688. Print.
  4. Mitchell, Claudia A.; Reid-Walsh, Jacqueline (Eds.). Girl Culture: An Encyclopedia [Two Volumes]. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2008
  5. "Once Upon a Time in Laredo." National Geographic Nov.-Dec. 2006: 94-109. Print.
  6. Brezosky, Lynn. "Laredo Pulls out All Stops for First President's Birthday | The Bryan-College Station Eagle." Archived 2011-07-04 at the Wayback Machine 8 February 2007. Web. 16 September 2010.
  7. Horvart, Marian T. "The Debutante Ball in Laredo - Cultural Page." Tradition In Action @ TraditionInAction.org. Apr.-May 2006. Web. 16 September 2010.
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