Physical object: Calling card for Minnie A. Warren
Unknown creator, American (created by)
Huldah Pierce Warren Bump Newell (Minnie Warren) (associated with)
Huldah Pierce Warren Bump Newell (Minnie Warren) (associated with)
2.6 in H
X
3.4 in W
Miniature calling card for Minnie A. Warren, younger sister of M. Lavinia Warren. Lavinia Warren is better known by her stage name, Mrs. Gen. Tom Thumb. Minnie also became famous through her role as bridesmaid when her sister wed Charles S. Stratton, "Gen. Tom Thumb," in 1863. The celebrated Fairy Wedding catapulted the four members of the wedding party, all little people, to widespread fame. The best man was another Barnum performer, "Commodore Nutt." The four traveled worldwide giving performances. The calling card features on the left a flowering branch with a blue and white bird among the pink flowers. A small sign in the bird's beak reads "Trust to me." In the center of the card the name "Minnie A. Warren" is printed in an Old English style font.
The use of calling cards followed a complex set of rules of etiquette. Typically a servant delivered the calling card to the person that his master or mistress wished to visit. The master or mistress would then await a response, also via a calling card. Among the rules of etiquette, cues such as turning down the corner of a card held particular meaning. Calling cards were commonly used by people of wealth and leisure but in the United States they were also used by members of the middle class who aspired to engage in social refinements.
Huldah Pierce Warren (Bump) Newell, better known as Minnie Warren (June 2, 1849 - July 23, 1878) was a performer associated with P. T. Barnum. She was a younger sister of M. Lavinia Warren, and the two sisters were close. Minnie married Edmund Newell in 1877; Newell was also a Barnum performer. The couple had one child, but the child passed away during or soon after birth. Minnie died on July 23, 1878, due to the difficulty of childbirth, a loss which devastated her sister. Minnie Warren Newell is buried in Nemasket Hill Cemetery in Middleboro, Massachusetts.
The use of calling cards followed a complex set of rules of etiquette. Typically a servant delivered the calling card to the person that his master or mistress wished to visit. The master or mistress would then await a response, also via a calling card. Among the rules of etiquette, cues such as turning down the corner of a card held particular meaning. Calling cards were commonly used by people of wealth and leisure but in the United States they were also used by members of the middle class who aspired to engage in social refinements.
Huldah Pierce Warren (Bump) Newell, better known as Minnie Warren (June 2, 1849 - July 23, 1878) was a performer associated with P. T. Barnum. She was a younger sister of M. Lavinia Warren, and the two sisters were close. Minnie married Edmund Newell in 1877; Newell was also a Barnum performer. The couple had one child, but the child passed away during or soon after birth. Minnie died on July 23, 1878, due to the difficulty of childbirth, a loss which devastated her sister. Minnie Warren Newell is buried in Nemasket Hill Cemetery in Middleboro, Massachusetts.
T 2016.027.001