Showman P.T. Barnum (l) with his protegee, "General Tom Thumb" (born as Charles Sherwood Stratton). Daguerrotype by Samuel Root, 1850
“The boy barely came up to the showman’s knees!” (1)
Barnum wasted no time signing up the boy as a sideshow attraction. His parents happily rented out their child for $7 a week plus room, board, and traveling expenses. Barnum installed the Strattons in a fancy New York City apartment above his museum of human curiosities. Barnum then began transforming Little Charlie into an international celebrity he christened “General Tom Thumb,” recalling the tiny fictional knight of King Arthur’s round table. The knight was so small, he rode a mouse and battled spiders.
1844 stereograph depicting General Tom Thumb as Napoleon. Although "Tom" was really six at the time, P.T. Barnum promoted him as a 13-year-old.
Barnum taught the little dwarf to dance, sing, and tell jokes while dressed in elaborate costumes as Cupid, Napoleon, and Frederick the Great. At five, Tom learned to drink wine and at seven he took up cigar smoking. Barnum billed Tom Thumb as the “smallest man alive.”
In 1844, Barnum took his young protege on a much-publicised European tour debut. Tom Thumb was a huge sensation, appearing before the crowned heads of Europe and visiting Queen Victoria not once, but twice. Audiences were enchanted with the man-boy whose charm combined innocence with pomposity. Over time, Tom made so many visits to royalty that Barnum had a special carriage built for him.
“Only 11″ high, it was painted blue and lined with silk. Drawn by ponies only 28″ tall, and driven by children dressed in livery, it caused a sensation wherever it went.”
Years went by and the money from Tom Thumb’s tours made him a rich man. “The Man in Miniature” moved to a specially-designed mansion for him and his parents in his hometown of Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Lavinia Warren (1841-1919), photo c. 1855-1865
On February 10, 1863, the two were married at Grace Episcopal Church in New York City. The wedding was front page news. Billed as “the fairy wedding,” it was the social event of the season. People clamored for invitations, yet only two thousand people were invited.
"The Fairy Wedding" of General Tom Thumb (Charles Stratton) and Lavinia Warren. This is a reenactment of the ceremony staged by photographer Mathew Brady after the Feb. 10, 1863 event.On the left in each picture is the best man, George Washington Morrison Nutt, known as Commodore Nutt, who had courted Lavinia unsuccessfully; Tom Thumb; Lavinia, and Minnie Bump AKA Minnie Warren, Lavinia's younger and even more petite sister
As Tom and Lavinia made their way up the center aisle to the altar, only guests seated along the aisle could see them. Once they arrived at the chancel, women stood on tiptoes and a few climbed on chairs to witness the ceremony. Afterwards, P.T. Barnum staged a reception for the newlyweds at the Metropolitan Hotel. Barnum charged $75 a ticket. Although there was a demand for 15,000 tickets, only 5,000 were sold.
At the reception, the Strattons stood on a piano to receive their guests. Later on their honeymoon, they traveled to Washington, D.C., to the White House, where President Lincoln gave them a fancy party. In the course of the evening, the president told General Tom Thumb that he had put him completely in the shade, as he [the General] was now the center of all attention.
(1) Fleming, Candace. The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P.T. Barnum. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2009.
Did you know about the Circus exhibit at the Witte Museum in San Antonio? It closes on Feb. 14th and I have to go to it. When I was a kid in San Antonio, the Hertzberg Circus Collection was housed at the Public Library. When I got tired of studying (which was often), my friends and I would go to the Circus side and look at pictures of very interesting people. I thought they had the Tom Thumb carriage there. Anyway, when they built the new library, the Circus Collection did not go with it, so the Witte has it now.
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Karen, hi, I’ll do some checking now. Thanks for your always helpful tips. Why are you going to the circus exhibit?
Okay, so I discovered that there is a Tom Thumb Museum in Middleborough, Mass., that has one of the Tom Thumb carriages. Evidently, Tiffany and Co. gave Tom and his bride a silver carriage as a wedding gift.
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That’s less than an hour away from me! I’ll have to visit and report back.
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Rob, are you talking about the Tom Thumb Museum? I’ll bet it’s a smallllll museum.
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This is a great post! It really makes Barnum look like a horrible person, convinced a child to drink and smoke cigars. But, Tom Thumb got to meet the President – impressive. I hope there’s a follow-up post on the wee General…
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Hey, Rob! P.T. Barnum is a fascinating subject. I’m just getting to know him and Tom Thumb. Hopefully, more is to come.
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I have Gen, Tom Thumb’s boots, in excellent condition, with the original shoe trees in place; I also have a photograph of him with his wife Lavinia and his best man Comm. Nutt, also original and in perfect condition. They were inherited by my grandmother who was born in 1888. I have had them for thirty years. I wonder if the museum in Marlboro or the museum in Bridgeport would be interested in them.
I am also curious where might be the best place to have them appraised.
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Carole, what wonderful keepsakes you have. Surf the net to find a literary appraiser, I guess.
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I also have a pair of TOM Thumbs boots and I was wondering if you got them appraised? Their are a few people who claim to have his boots so I’m curious to how true this is.
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a good friend of mine and I were going through her parents photos albums and she came across the original TIN PLATE Negatives and the couple that stood up in Tom Thumbs wedding..we have been doing so much research to find out why her Mom has these in her family album. Her Mom was born in Lockport NY and my friend remembers her mother talk of family in OH, PA, and all through NY. Her mom has Alzheimers and does not even remember these photo’s at all..Sad, but..now the curiosity is beaming to find out this connected trail to these famous people. It’s obvious that either the Best man or the Maid of Honor was a relation in my friends family tree. The Maid of honor was Lavinia Warren- Stratton’s sister Minnie Warren..so we are trying to start there..anyone with any information it would be appreciated…thanks
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Tom and Lavina might have been a pair of side-show freaks but they had hearts of gold and loved each other dearly. I think that if they had been normal people like us, we wouldn’t have this heartfelt history of their lives. I mean, they had been used for entertainment purposes and they never had really normal lives like the rest of us…they were sorta like movie stars of the old ages. Thanks for this post!!!!!
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I have his cannon off of his yacht- it’s not for sale though. Great Grandpa gave it to me.
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I am trying to find more pictures of Tom Thumb and his performances. I am especially interested in any pics that are associated with a piano. (not the wedding piano) Any suggestions?
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