Trinidad Carnival is many things – music, colour, movement, but above all, it is the spectacle of the masquerade. Thousands of costumed revellers transform the landscape into a visual fantasia. But for those individuals whose imagination, craft and passion created legends, the decades following World War II were a golden age for costume design. Some of the most influential names in costume design include:
HAROLD SALDENAH (1925-1985) Born in the east Port of Spain district of Belmont in 1925, Harold “Sally” Saldenah began his Carnival career in the years immediately following World War I, assisting bandleaders such as Harry Basilon, Harold Tang Yuk and Mansie Lei. Inspired by the 1951 Hollywood movie of the same name, Saldenah designed his first mas band "Quo Vadis" in 1953 with Roman soldier helmets made of papier mache painted to look authentic. In 1955, he introduced metalwork to mas by employing Ken Morris to fabricate copper breastplates for Roman soldiers in his winning Band of the Year presentation "Imperial Rome 44BC to 96AD." He was also the first bandleader to create sections in his presentations. His mastery of both history and fantasy earned him a total of six (6) band of the year titles.
BAND OF THE YEAR TITLES Imperial Rome 44 BC to 96 AD Norse Gods and Vikings Lost City of Atlantis Crees of Canada Mexico 1519 to 1521 El Dorado, City of Gold
GEORGE BAILEY (1933-1970) Dubbed “Sir George” by his friends, George Bailey is regarded as one of the greatest carnival bandleaders. Born in the west Port of Spain suburb of Woodbrook, Bailey produced his first independent band in 1956. In his second year as a bandleader and designer, he changed the popular opinion of African history, and Carnival itself, with his winning presentation “Back to Africa”, which earned him his first of six (6) Band of theYear titles. Before Bailey, the crowds did not believe any African mas could match the grandeur of Roman or Greek themes. Traditional African masquerade used rags, paint, and spears to portray an image of an uncivilized past. In his presentation, Bailey debunked this stereotype by carefully researching the topic and using the same elaborate display usually associated with bands depicting the history of Europe.
BAND OF THE YEAR TITLES Back to Africa Relics of Egypt Ye Saga of Merrie England Byzantine Glory Somewhere in New Guinea Bright Africa
KEN MORRIS (1924-1992) One of the foremost Carnival artists was the master of copper work, the late Ken Morris. Born in Belmont in 1924, he brought Carnival and fine art together, his skill and imagination erasing the distinction between the two. His skill was in high demand for almost forty years by every major bandleader. He was self-taught for the most part and perfected the art known as repousse, the process by which sheet metal is shaped into a sphere or dome by heating. He introduced this technique into Carnival costume design and was responsible for a whole new era of mas. Demand for his skills peaked in the 1950’s with the great bands whose historical themes demanded realistically rendered metalwork. Morris was also an acclaimed sculptor.
CITO VELASQUEZ (1929- ) Cito Velasquez has been hailed as the Masmen’s Master. He has been a powerful influence in the design of fancy sailor costumes, with their elaborate headpieces, and the large kings and queens of the bands. He began his career in the late 1940’s when he started bending wire for the mas presentations of two east Port of Spain steelbands, Fascinators and Bar Twenty. At first, he designed only basic Indian headpieces. Initially he learned his craft from a masman named Tennessee Brown who was the chief wire-bender for the Fascinators. He soon outdid the master and in 1959, from his mas camp in Barataria, three miles east of Port of Spain, he produced his first band, Fruits and Flowers. The costumes represented giant tropical fruits and flowers made from 12- or 16-gauge wire and papier mâché that were masterfully decorated. Each piece was then used to create a fancy sailor headpiece. The band’s headpieces were chosen to decorate downtown Port of Spain for the independence celebration of 1962.
IRVIN McWILLIAMS (1920- ) Irvin “Mac” McWilliams entered the Carnival scene in 1957 with the band Cleopatra and the Kings of Europe. He continued in this vein until 1961 when he presented the band Hail La Trinity, the first Carnival band with an entirely local theme. McWilliams returned to historical and fantasy themes and for the next nine years the band of the year title eluded him. Finally, in 1971 he won with his groundbreaking Wonders of Buccoo Reef. He repeated the feat the following year with Anancy Story and again in 1978 with Know Your Country. At last, local themes were being highlighted and appreciated in the carnival arena. His presentations taught people about their culture and he was loved by masqueraders and spectators for creating mas that reflected Caribbean life.
BAND OF THE YEAR TITLES Wonders of Buccoo Reef Anancy Story Know Your Country
CARLISLE CHANG (1921-2001) Born in San Juan in 1921, Carlisle Chang was the consummate Caribbean artist. Among other things he was a painter, sculptor, photographer and designer. He drew on the ethnically diverse community in which he lived to produce truly indigenous works of art. Chang was not a bandleader but he designed several bands for the bandleader Stephen Lee Heung from 1964-1975. One of his most memorable productions, China, the Forbidden City, won him his first Band of the Year title in 1967. It was a spectacular display of the temples, gardens and animal life of China. He won again in 1975 for the portrayal We Kind Ah People in which he celebrated the various cultures of the people of Trinidad and Tobago. Sadly, this was the final band that he designed. For about twenty (20) years, from the late 70s to the mid 90s, Chang disappeared from the art scene. He reemerged in the 90s when there was a renewal of interest in his work.
BAND OF THE YEAR TITLES China, the Forbidden City (bandleader, Stephen Lee Heung) We Kind Ah People (bandleader, Stephen Lee Heung
EDMOND HART (1923- ) LIL HART (1930-1991) Edmond and Lil Hart represent one of carnival’s most creative and productive collaborations. Edmond Hart became involved in carnival from an early age and helped to produce mas with the bandleader Bobby Ammon. He took up the leadership role in 1961 and by 1962 his wife Lil joined the team. Together they produced mas for approximately thirty (30) years until their separation and Lil’s death in 1991. As a team they were unstoppable, garnering five (5) Band of the Year titles. Edmond handled the production side of things and Lil looked after the creative design. Lil is reputed to have said that her masqueraders must have fun. Thus her costume designs were always simple and comfortable. The Harts are also credited with introducing “bikini mas” which is the use of the bath suit as the basic unit of the carnival costume.
BAND OF THE YEAR TITLES Playing Cards Inferno Mas Sweet Mas Islands in the Sun Out of This World
GEORGE “DIAMOND JIM” HARDING (1915-1999) JASON GRIFFITH (1927- ) George Harding of Belmont, popularly known as “Diamond Jim”, was the unofficial king of sailor mas. This type of mas dates back to the late 19th century, when British and American warships paid regular visits to Trinidad, and crewmen on shore leave were a common sight in Port of Spain. Later, around the time of the Second World War, its popularity was boosted by the large American naval presence. During that time, the traditional sailor mas was meant to mimic the actions of the drunken sailors. Harding however, changed this from caricature to surrealism. He devised more and more elaborate headpieces that varied from fish to airplanes. Jason Griffith, one of Harding’s early apprentices and creative heir, would continue the tradition of fancy sailor mas. In 1949, he launched his own band, USS Sullivan. In 1969, fancy sailor mas experienced a major revival, when Griffith launched Old Fashioned Sailors. He continues to maintain much of the humorous style of outlandish headpieces made famous by Harding. However, he also employs new themes such as sailors in outer space in his 1984 band Extra Terrestrial Voyage.
STEPHEN DEREK (1952- ) Born in Woodbrook, Port of Spain, Stephen Derek is one of the few bandleaders who has mastered all the traditional skills such as wire-bending, papier mache moulding and carving. He was fortunate to learn his craft in the camp of the mas legend George Bailey. He continues to produce costumes that reflect the golden age of mas making. His major contribution however has been his involvement in carnival beyond Trinidad and Tobago. Derek has designed for carnivals in cities like New York, Toronto, Boston, Atlanta, Miami and Houston to name a few. His company, D'Midas International, has several offices in North America.
WAYNE BERKELEY (1940- ) Wayne Berkeley is hailed not only as a bandleader but as a professional and a perfectionist. He grew up in Belmont in the vicinity of Harold Saldenah's mas camp. Art became an integral part of his formative years both at home and at school. His first furrow into mas making was the 1965 band Fan Fair. With this presentation he gave a hint of where his designs were headed. He had moved away from the historical costumes to the area of concepts and fantasy. Over the years he has been praised for his exquisite designs, attention to detail, innovation and efficiency. He has designed for the carnival stage as well as for dramatic productions at home and abroad. With a record of eleven (11) Band of the Year titles he is indeed a master of his craft.
BAND OF THE YEAR TITLES Secrets of the Sky (bandleader, Bobby Ammon) Kaleidoscope Genesis Rainforest (bandleader, Stephen Lee Heung) Heromyth Nineteen Ninety Swan Lake Titanic Strike Up the Band Miracle Amarant: The Secret Garden
PETER MINSHALL (1941- ) Peter Minshall was born in British Guiana but moved to Trinidad at an early age. He burst onto the carnival scene in 1976 as the designer for Stephen Lee Heung's band Paradise Lost and has never looked back. Even before this however, his design of Sherry-Ann Guy's 1974 costume Hummingbird caused quite a stir in carnival circles. Known for his controversial portrayals, Minshall created social commentary in the midst of "pretty mas" thus reviving the tradition of mas as satire. He also used many aspects of the traditional characters in his design. It became the norm to see bat wings transformed into birds or for devil mas to become the King of Carnival. Minshall's other trademark was carnival as theatre. His masqueraders did not play the mas, they became the mas. Critics accused him of destroying carnival but the people flocked to see him. He won the most People's Choice awards even when he failed to win Band of the Year. He also earned kudos on the international stage for his design of the opening ceremony of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
BAND OF THE YEAR TITLES Paradise Lost (bandleader, Stephen Lee Heung) Carnival of the Sea Jungle Fever Carnival Is Colour Hallelujah Song of the Earth Tapestry
https://www.nalis.gov.tt/Resources/Subject-Guide/Carnival
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