​The renowned veteran Masman, Peter Minshall, is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most influential icons of Carnival!

​The renowned veteran Masman, Peter Minshall, is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most influential icons of Carnival!
Minshall was born on July 16th 1941 in Georgetown, Guyana and his family migrated to Trinidad and Tobago in the late-1940s. He grew up in POS where he was exposed to Carnival from a young age, before leaving to study Theatre Design in London.
After graduating, he worked in costume design and mas. He became part of the multi-ethnic West Indian Theatre, as well as Notting Hill Carnival, where he was one of the first persons to design costumes.
When he returned to T&T in 1974, he brought these experiences with him to create his “From The Land of the Hummingbird” costume for his sister Sherry-Ann Guy (Coelho). It showcased one of his earliest innovations: the articulated bird wing.
In 1976, he designed his first full Carnival band “Paradise Lost” which won the 1976 Band of the Year title. In 1978, he produced “Zodiac”, followed by 1979’s “Carnival of the Sea,” which won Band of the Year in all categories.
His monochromatic “Danse Macabre” (1980) and “Tan Tan and Saga Boy” (1990) showcased his creativity in movement, with the two towering, 15-foot dancing mobiles of Tan Tan and Saga Boy being moved by just two individual performers.
Minshall appreciated the value of mas as a form of creative expression, and his Carnival creations and trademark dancing mobiles garnered international acclaim. He was invited to design and direct segments of the Summer Olympics in Spain in 1992 and in Atlanta, Georgia in 1996, followed by the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002.
In 1982, Minshall was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Trinity Cross in 1996 for Art and Culture, and Trinidad and Tobago’s first Emmy Award for his segment in the Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
Photo 1 shows Carol Aqui as "Madame Cocette", designed by Peter Minshall, from his 1981 Band of the Year. This photo is from the 1981 Trinidad Carnival Magazine, Special BWIA Souvenir Edition which is part of the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Magazine Collection.
Photo 2 shows Sherry-Ann Guy winning Individual of the Year in 1974 with her “Humming Bird” costume created by Peter Minshall.
This photo is courtesy of the magazine, “Trinidad Carnival 1974: The Greatest Spectacle on Earth” which is part of the Nasser Khan Carnival Magazine Collection at the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago.
References: Bastien, Elliot, and Sandra Bernard-Bastien. World Class Trinidad & Tobago: an Area of Abundance: Profiles of Performance. Sekani Publications, 2006.
Pacifique-Marshall, Virginia, et al. The Carnival Suite: a Collection of Traditional Carnival Characters of Trinidad and Tobago. StarApple, 2014.
(Source:  National Archives of Trinidad & Tobago, Feb 18, 2023)