Advertisement: Broadside "General Tom Thumb, Man in Miniature, arriving in Bridgeport and Fairfield"
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)
1848 (Date manufactured/created)
21 in H
X
7.625 in W
Broadside advertising the appearance of General Tom Thumb (Charles S. Stratton) at the City Hall in Bridgeport and the Court House in Fairfield [Connecticut], on Wednesday, September 13, Thursday, September 14, and Friday, September 15. The year is calculated to be 1848. Broadsides are the ancestors of posters, and in the 1700s and 1800s they were a common way of publicly announcing news and events--and in this case advertising. Broadsides usually contain more text than pictures and are printed in black ink, unlike posters, which are typically colorful, with a dominant image or design. No printer's name is listed on this broadside.
General Tom Thumb was the stage name for Charles S. Stratton, a little person performer who worked for P. T. Barnum. His weight is advertised as 15 pounds and his height as 28 inches, about 4 inches taller than when Barnum first met him in late 1842. Stratton would have been 10 3/4 years old at the time of this advertisement. His appearances on tour are advertised as levees, what we would probably call a reception or “meet and greet” today. In Bridgeport he was doing two per day, in the late afternoon and early evening, each 1 1/2 hours long, and in Fairfield, where he was to appear only one day, three levees were scheduled: morning, afternoon, and evening. Admission is noted as 25 cents for adults, and half price for children under 10.
This broadside includes two illustrations. The top one is an imaginary scene showcasing Tom Thumb’s characters, some posed as Grecian statues and others in various costumes as the Little General, Napoleon Bonaparte, Frederick the Great, and in Scotch Costume, and Court Dress. The audience is an assemblage of the nobility and heads of state whom Stratton had met on his three-year tour of Europe with P. T. Barnum in the mid-1840s. The bottom illustration shows Stratton alongside his miniature carriage and ponies, called by its French term "equipage," while an admiring audience of ladies and gentlemen look on. The equipage is noted to have been a gift of Queen Victoria, whom Stratton met in 1844 while on tour in England with P. T. Barnum.
Charles S. Stratton (January 4, 1838 - July 15, 1883) was an entertainer who got his start with P. T. Barnum in the early 1840s. Stratton's parents signed him with Barnum when the boy was barely five years old. The family went to live in New York City where Stratton performed at Barnum's American Museum, located on Broadway at Ann Street. The little boy took quickly to performing, and on tours he entertained audiences worldwide, including royalty. Stratton's performances brought him renown, becoming one of the biggest celebrities at the time, and considerable wealth. In 1863, Stratton married fellow performer and little person M. Lavinia Warren; the two had a happy marriage, and continued touring and performing. On July 15, 1883, Stratton suffered a stroke and passed away. He is buried at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
General Tom Thumb was the stage name for Charles S. Stratton, a little person performer who worked for P. T. Barnum. His weight is advertised as 15 pounds and his height as 28 inches, about 4 inches taller than when Barnum first met him in late 1842. Stratton would have been 10 3/4 years old at the time of this advertisement. His appearances on tour are advertised as levees, what we would probably call a reception or “meet and greet” today. In Bridgeport he was doing two per day, in the late afternoon and early evening, each 1 1/2 hours long, and in Fairfield, where he was to appear only one day, three levees were scheduled: morning, afternoon, and evening. Admission is noted as 25 cents for adults, and half price for children under 10.
This broadside includes two illustrations. The top one is an imaginary scene showcasing Tom Thumb’s characters, some posed as Grecian statues and others in various costumes as the Little General, Napoleon Bonaparte, Frederick the Great, and in Scotch Costume, and Court Dress. The audience is an assemblage of the nobility and heads of state whom Stratton had met on his three-year tour of Europe with P. T. Barnum in the mid-1840s. The bottom illustration shows Stratton alongside his miniature carriage and ponies, called by its French term "equipage," while an admiring audience of ladies and gentlemen look on. The equipage is noted to have been a gift of Queen Victoria, whom Stratton met in 1844 while on tour in England with P. T. Barnum.
Charles S. Stratton (January 4, 1838 - July 15, 1883) was an entertainer who got his start with P. T. Barnum in the early 1840s. Stratton's parents signed him with Barnum when the boy was barely five years old. The family went to live in New York City where Stratton performed at Barnum's American Museum, located on Broadway at Ann Street. The little boy took quickly to performing, and on tours he entertained audiences worldwide, including royalty. Stratton's performances brought him renown, becoming one of the biggest celebrities at the time, and considerable wealth. In 1863, Stratton married fellow performer and little person M. Lavinia Warren; the two had a happy marriage, and continued touring and performing. On July 15, 1883, Stratton suffered a stroke and passed away. He is buried at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
T 2013.009.001