Jewelry: Fairy Wedding souvenir locket
Mathew Brady (created by)
Charles S. Stratton (General Tom Thumb)
Southworth, Mary (associated with)
M. Lavinia Warren (associated with)
Huldah Pierce Warren Bump Newell (Minnie Warren) (associated with)
George W. M. Nutt (Commodore Nutt) (associated with)
Charles S. Stratton (General Tom Thumb)
Southworth, Mary (associated with)
M. Lavinia Warren (associated with)
Huldah Pierce Warren Bump Newell (Minnie Warren) (associated with)
George W. M. Nutt (Commodore Nutt) (associated with)
1863 – 1865 (Date manufactured/created)
Miniature locket that functions as a tiny photo album, and was intended as a souvenir of the highly publicized wedding of Charles S. Stratton and Mercy Lavinia Warren, better known by their stage names as "General and Mrs. Tom Thumb." The locket is made of brass sheet metal, soft enough to be molded into a highly detailed shape. In this case the outer coverings of the square-shaped locket were made to resemble a piece of luggage with leather straps and buckles. A false "plaque" on the front cover reads "Somebody's Luggage." The locket opens to reveal a length of hinged, fold-out album pages, each with an oval opening where a tiny photo is included. The images are various copies of Mathew Brady's photographs from the Stratton's famous "Fairy Wedding" as it was popularly known, as well as other images of Charles S. Stratton, M. Lavinia Warren, George W. M. Nutt, and Minnie Warren. There are six images on each side, however, not all are shown in the views here; the photographs are faded and the last image is indistinguishable. Examples of this same trinket can be seen in the other museum collections, such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the New York Public Library https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/21726760-2289-0132-6d6e-58d385a7bbd0, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art which has a similar locket, with different images from Brady.
The creator of the locket is unknown but it is believed to be of American manufacture, produced c. 1863 to 1865 or later. Possibly it was assembled by E. and H. T. Anthony, the photo studio responsible for printing of thousands of souvenir cartes de visite (baseball card-sized photographs) sold as wedding souvenirs. The merchandising efforts associated with the Fairy Wedding were likely equal to or greater than those associated with Jenny Lind's tour of America from 1850 to 1851. The marriage took place at Grace Episcopal Church in New York City on February 10, 1863. The bridal party included fellow Barnum performers and little people George Washington Morrison Nutt, known as "Commodore Nutt," and Minnie Warren, Lavinia’s sister, as the best man and maid of honor respectively. The wedding and lavish reception were heavily promoted by P. T. Barnum, who turned the occasion into a major social event on a scale with modern day celebrity weddings.
The creator of the locket is unknown but it is believed to be of American manufacture, produced c. 1863 to 1865 or later. Possibly it was assembled by E. and H. T. Anthony, the photo studio responsible for printing of thousands of souvenir cartes de visite (baseball card-sized photographs) sold as wedding souvenirs. The merchandising efforts associated with the Fairy Wedding were likely equal to or greater than those associated with Jenny Lind's tour of America from 1850 to 1851. The marriage took place at Grace Episcopal Church in New York City on February 10, 1863. The bridal party included fellow Barnum performers and little people George Washington Morrison Nutt, known as "Commodore Nutt," and Minnie Warren, Lavinia’s sister, as the best man and maid of honor respectively. The wedding and lavish reception were heavily promoted by P. T. Barnum, who turned the occasion into a major social event on a scale with modern day celebrity weddings.
BF 1995.019.001