Tom Thumb, Wife, and Child aka Charles Sherwood Stratton

Description

Tom Thumb, Wife, and Child aka Charles Sherwood Stratton

(January 4, 1838 – July 15, 1883), better known by his stage name “General Tom Thumb”, was a dwarf who achieved great fame as a performer under circus pioneer P.T. Barnum. Stratton’s marriage on February 10, 1863, to another dwarf, Lavinia Warren, became front-page news. The wedding took place at Grace Episcopal Church and the wedding reception was held at the Metropolitan Hotel. The couple stood atop a grand piano in New York City’s Metropolitan Hotel to greet some 10,000 guests. The best man at the wedding was George Washington Morrison (“Commodore”) Nutt, another dwarf performer in Barnum’s employ. The maid of honor was Minnie Warren, Lavinia’s even smaller sister. Following the wedding, the couple was received by President Lincoln at the White House. Stratton and his wife toured together in Europe as well as British India, in particular the area that would later become Bangladesh.

Inventory Number: CDV 101