Fiesta Court of Phantasy Coronation Gown

Linda Ann Lewis was the Duchess of Fabled Treasures during San Antonio’s 1962 Fiesta celebration. One of 27 duchesses in the Order of the Alamo’s Court of Phantasy, Linda Lewis’s deep claret gown and robe were made by veteran Fiesta dressmaker, Minna Bel Oland. The 1962 coronation was Oland’s 28th Fiesta. She and her team made 10 of the 29 gowns and robes that season. It took them six to eight weeks to make each ensemble.  

The Coronation of the Queen of Fiesta by The Order of the Alamo is one of the central features of Fiesta® San Antonio’s celebration. The Order of the Alamo was founded in 1909 by prominent San Antonio men to select a queen to preside over Fiesta. Its members select the queen and her court from the debutants of San Antonio and other Texas cities. After being crowned in an elaborately choreographed coronation ceremony each April, the queen and princess make public appearances to spread the joy and spirit of Fiesta to the city. The entire court participates in the Battle of Flowers Parade, riding on giant floats to showcase their magnificent gowns and robes to thousands of excited parade watchers. 

Participating in The Order of the Alamo Fiesta Court was a long standing family tradition for Linda Ann Lewis. A member of the 1961–62 debutant coterie in San Antonio, she was active in the San Antonio Junior League and the San Antonio Girls Cotillion Club. She was escorted to the coronation ceremony by Paul McSween Jr., whom she married in July 1963. The tradition continued with their children. Their oldest daughter, Linda Grace McSween, was crowned Queen of the Court of Artistic Splendor in 1990, and their youngest daughter, Jennifer Lewis McSween, was crowned Queen of the Court of Resplendent Arts in 1998.