Photograph: "General Tom Thumb in His Different Characters, ca. 1850s"
Poster
Charles S. Stratton (General Tom Thumb)
Southworth, Mary (associated with)
Southworth, Mary (associated with)
1850s (Date manufactured/created)
14 in H
X
9.5 in W
Small-scale poster featuring nine sepia-toned photographs of Charles S. Stratton, better known as "Gen. Tom Thumb," each photograph showing him in a performance costume. The photographs are glued to a heavy paperboard backing, with three across and three down, evenly spaced. The title is printed in bold letters at the top, "Gen. Tom Thumb in his Different Characters." The characters are titled: Citizen, Court Dress, Highland, Napoleon, Villikins, Our Mary Ann, Cain, Sailor, and Romulus. The photo cards are examples of the kind of promotional merchandise featuring Gen. Tom Thumb available for purchase by his fans and admirers. The specific purpose or occasion, if any, for creating this item is unknown. This item appears to have been trimmed down on the sides, which are not perfectly straight and lack the decorative printed border at the top and bottom.
Photographed by E.T. Whitney, Norwalk, CT, c. 1850s
Charles S. Stratton (January 4, 1838- July 15, 1883), known as General Tom Thumb, was an entertainer and Bridgeport Conn. native who got his start with P.T. Barnum in 1842. Stratton's parents signed their son with Barnum just shy of his fifth birthday, in December 1842, since exhibiting people with dwarfism was lucrative at the time. Stratton was 24 inches tall when Barnum met him. A personable child, Stratton took quickly to performing, and in the mid-1840s Barnum took him on a three-year tour of Europe where he entertained audiences, including heads of state and nobility such as Queen Victoria. The characters illustrated in the photocards represent a large portion of the acts performed by Stratton in his youth in the mid-1840s through 1850s.
Stratton married fellow performer M. Lavinia Warren in 1863 and the two had a happy marriage. Stratton's performances and worldwide travels brought him renown as an international celebrity, one of the biggest at the time. He and his wife became very wealthy. They owned homes in several locations, a yacht, and other luxuries. On July 15, 1883, Stratton suffered a stroke and died. He is buried at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His widow remarried but chose to be buried with Stratton upon her death, which occurred in 1919.
Photographed by E.T. Whitney, Norwalk, CT, c. 1850s
Charles S. Stratton (January 4, 1838- July 15, 1883), known as General Tom Thumb, was an entertainer and Bridgeport Conn. native who got his start with P.T. Barnum in 1842. Stratton's parents signed their son with Barnum just shy of his fifth birthday, in December 1842, since exhibiting people with dwarfism was lucrative at the time. Stratton was 24 inches tall when Barnum met him. A personable child, Stratton took quickly to performing, and in the mid-1840s Barnum took him on a three-year tour of Europe where he entertained audiences, including heads of state and nobility such as Queen Victoria. The characters illustrated in the photocards represent a large portion of the acts performed by Stratton in his youth in the mid-1840s through 1850s.
Stratton married fellow performer M. Lavinia Warren in 1863 and the two had a happy marriage. Stratton's performances and worldwide travels brought him renown as an international celebrity, one of the biggest at the time. He and his wife became very wealthy. They owned homes in several locations, a yacht, and other luxuries. On July 15, 1883, Stratton suffered a stroke and died. He is buried at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His widow remarried but chose to be buried with Stratton upon her death, which occurred in 1919.
EL 1988.084.001