Toys and games: M. Lavinina Warren paper doll dresses in white and pink
1863 – 1870 (Date manufactured/created)
Paper Documentary Artifact
3.5 in H
X
3.9 in W
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 set that these gowns were part of 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 publisher of the paper dolls was McLoughlin Bro's., 30 Bleekman Street in New York City. 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 mainly uncolored, and features a very full, round skirt, set in at the waist in layered box pleats, and a bodice with a wide neckline and short puffed sleeves, The bodice is trimmed with narrow rows of pleating that completely cover the bosom. The back view of the gown shows the trim colored rose pink in the center and left white at the edges. The arms are shown with wide, "cuff" style bracelets touched with yellow to represent gold, and gloved hands. The second dress is a similar style but the skirt is trimmed with decorative appliqués shaped in long diamonds with ruffles at the bottom. The bodice features a series of vertical lines that emphasize its close fit to the figure. A narrow area of burgundy is visible just above the bosom and below the lace-edged neckline. The back view of the dress shows that it was colored a light rose pink with trimmings in burgundy; the pink color has faded from the front view. The figure holds an embroidered handkerchief in one hand.
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 set that these gowns were part of 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 publisher of the paper dolls was McLoughlin Bro's., 30 Bleekman Street in New York City. 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 mainly uncolored, and features a very full, round skirt, set in at the waist in layered box pleats, and a bodice with a wide neckline and short puffed sleeves, The bodice is trimmed with narrow rows of pleating that completely cover the bosom. The back view of the gown shows the trim colored rose pink in the center and left white at the edges. The arms are shown with wide, "cuff" style bracelets touched with yellow to represent gold, and gloved hands. The second dress is a similar style but the skirt is trimmed with decorative appliqués shaped in long diamonds with ruffles at the bottom. The bodice features a series of vertical lines that emphasize its close fit to the figure. A narrow area of burgundy is visible just above the bosom and below the lace-edged neckline. The back view of the dress shows that it was colored a light rose pink with trimmings in burgundy; the pink color has faded from the front view. The figure holds an embroidered handkerchief in one hand.
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 1988.107.001