Toys and games: M. Lavinia Warren paper doll set (partial) with two dresses
1863 – 1870 (Date manufactured/created)
Paper Documentary Artifact
3.5 in H
X
3.5 in W
Booklet and two paper doll dresses that are part of a set depicting M. Lavinia Warren, wife of Charles S. Stratton. The couple was better known by their stage names, "Gen. and Mrs.Tom Thumb." Their marriage in 1863 set them on a course to achieve international celebrity, and a wide variety of souvenir items were produced to capitalize on the "miniature" couple's immense popularity. Though paper dolls were not new in the 1860s, they were becoming a more popular pastime for children due to the greater affordability of printed items, including books, magazines, and puzzles. As little people with the condition of proportionate dwarfism, Charles and Lavinia would probably have been likened to "dolls" in the public's imagination, and thus perhaps one of the reasons paper dolls were made in their image. In addition, Charles's character performances in costume presented a perfect opportunity for creating a paper doll wardrobe, as did Lavinia's taste for fashionable, expensive clothing.
The paper doll set was likely produced around 1863 or soon after, amidst the hype of Warren’s marriage to Stratton. Their wedding was heavily promoted by P.T. Barnum, who gave it the name of the Fairy Wedding and elevated it to the biggest event in New York City society.
The set was produced with a booklet; it is unknown how many gowns and accessories were included, but likely at least half a dozen. The cover depicts Lavinia Warren in a bright green dress trimmed in red. Her gown features a full, round skirt and wide neckline with puffed sleeves fashionable, the style fashionable in the early 1860s. Above her head, "Mrs. Tom Thumb" is printed in large red letters. Below the figure is the description, "The Little Lady who was exhibited at Barnum's Museum and married at Grace Church. The publisher's name, McLoughlin Bro's., 30 Bleekman Street in New York City, is printed in a red box at the center bottom. McLoughlin published several series of paper dolls, including sets depicting Gen. Tom Thumb, Lavinia's sister Minnie Warren, and Commodore Nutt, who was the best man at the Stratton's wedding.
The first dress is a medium green color with a full, round skirt and wide neckline with short, puffed sleeves. It is trimmed with a double line of heavily pleated or gathered silk with pinked (pointed) edges, placed to appear as if the gown had two overskirts. The double line of trimming merges at the waist and then in a single line extends over the front of the bodice, forming a V. The second dress is a burgundy color, now faded. A narrow, pleated trim in green covers the seam where a deep ruffle is joined to the skirt hem. The same trim outlines the bodice neckline.
M. Lavinia Warren was a well known entertainer, whose career spanned the 1860s to the early 1900s. She was born Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump on October 31, 1841, in Massachusetts. She married fellow entertainer Charles S. Stratton on February 10, 1863, and following his death in 1883, she married an Italian entertainer of a similar stature, Count Primo Magri, on April 6, 1885. Warren was a schoolteacher originally but soon began her performance career on a river boat at a time when exhibiting people with dwarfism was profitable. Warren signed with showman P. T. Barnum at age 21, along with her younger sister Minnie (Huldah) Warren, who also had dwarfism. After her marriage to Stratton the two toured the country and around the world giving performances, becoming America's first international celebrity couple. During Warren's second marriage, she and her husband also toured for many years and later operated a roadside stand in Middleboro, Massachusetts, her birthplace. Lavinia Warren Stratton Magri died on November 25, 1919, and was buried beside Stratton at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
The paper doll set was likely produced around 1863 or soon after, amidst the hype of Warren’s marriage to Stratton. Their wedding was heavily promoted by P.T. Barnum, who gave it the name of the Fairy Wedding and elevated it to the biggest event in New York City society.
The set was produced with a booklet; it is unknown how many gowns and accessories were included, but likely at least half a dozen. The cover depicts Lavinia Warren in a bright green dress trimmed in red. Her gown features a full, round skirt and wide neckline with puffed sleeves fashionable, the style fashionable in the early 1860s. Above her head, "Mrs. Tom Thumb" is printed in large red letters. Below the figure is the description, "The Little Lady who was exhibited at Barnum's Museum and married at Grace Church. The publisher's name, McLoughlin Bro's., 30 Bleekman Street in New York City, is printed in a red box at the center bottom. McLoughlin published several series of paper dolls, including sets depicting Gen. Tom Thumb, Lavinia's sister Minnie Warren, and Commodore Nutt, who was the best man at the Stratton's wedding.
The first dress is a medium green color with a full, round skirt and wide neckline with short, puffed sleeves. It is trimmed with a double line of heavily pleated or gathered silk with pinked (pointed) edges, placed to appear as if the gown had two overskirts. The double line of trimming merges at the waist and then in a single line extends over the front of the bodice, forming a V. The second dress is a burgundy color, now faded. A narrow, pleated trim in green covers the seam where a deep ruffle is joined to the skirt hem. The same trim outlines the bodice neckline.
M. Lavinia Warren was a well known entertainer, whose career spanned the 1860s to the early 1900s. She was born Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump on October 31, 1841, in Massachusetts. She married fellow entertainer Charles S. Stratton on February 10, 1863, and following his death in 1883, she married an Italian entertainer of a similar stature, Count Primo Magri, on April 6, 1885. Warren was a schoolteacher originally but soon began her performance career on a river boat at a time when exhibiting people with dwarfism was profitable. Warren signed with showman P. T. Barnum at age 21, along with her younger sister Minnie (Huldah) Warren, who also had dwarfism. After her marriage to Stratton the two toured the country and around the world giving performances, becoming America's first international celebrity couple. During Warren's second marriage, she and her husband also toured for many years and later operated a roadside stand in Middleboro, Massachusetts, her birthplace. Lavinia Warren Stratton Magri died on November 25, 1919, and was buried beside Stratton at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
EL 1988.106.001