In eighteen seventy-two, businessmen created Rex, the King of Carnival, to organize Mardi Gras around the visit of Grand Duke Alexei Romanov. They chose purple, green, and gold — popularly attributed to the Romanov family crest. The anthem, If Ever I Cease to Love, came from a burlesque show the duke may or may not have attended because of a woman he may or may not have been pursuing.
The entire visual and musical identity of the most famous party in America was designed to flatter a foreign tourist. Over one hundred and fifty years later, they still play the song. Every Mardi Gras.
— From the tour: Pirates, Presidents & Purchase Receipts
