Jewelry: Garnet ring belonging to Charles S. Stratton
Ring
Unknown creator, American (associated with)
Charles S. Stratton (General Tom Thumb)
Southworth, Mary (associated with)
Charles S. Stratton (General Tom Thumb)
Southworth, Mary (associated with)
1845 – 1855 (Date manufactured/created)
silver, garnet
Tiny gold metal ring set with faceted garnets, worn by Charles S. Stratton, better known by his stage name, General Tom Thumb. The slender, delicate ring features a large garnet in the center, flanked by two smaller ones. The diameter is just over 1/2 inch (0.625") and the band itself is thin and fragile and appears to have been repaired; this ring would not have held up well to daily wear. Based upon the ring's size it is presumed to have been worn when he was young, probably in the 1840s and/or 1850s. An oil portrait of Stratton in the Barnum Museum's collection, painted when he was six years old, shows him with rings on two fingers, however neither match this one. The maker of this ring is unknown. For years it has been stored in a small green box with an old (though not original) label glued to the lid. 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 him with Barnum at age 4, as exhibiting those with dwarfism was lucrative at the time. Stratton took quickly to performing, and he entertained audiences worldwide, including nobility such as Queen Victoria. Stratton married fellow performer M. Lavinia Warren and the two had a happy marriage. Stratton's performances brought him renown as a celebrity, perhaps one of the biggest at the time, and he and Warren were able to live comfortably when not working. On 15 July 1883, Stratton suffered a stroke and passed away. He is buried at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, Connecticut, with his wife beside him.
EL 1988.182.003