38 in L
Full-length cotton nightgown worn by M. Lavinia Warren, a little person performer who became famous as "Mrs. General Tom Thumb," the wife of Charles S. Stratton, in 1863. This voluminous white gown is heavily decorated with pintucks, embroidery and bands of close gathering called ruching. It is an unusually elaborate nightgown that was probably part of her bridal trousseau, and for that reason is believed to have been her wedding nightgown from her second marriage in 1885. The plain cotton is a substantial weight, but the areas of pintucks, ruching and the ruffle are made of a lighter weight cotton muslin. The body of the nightgown is very full and wide, gathered into a curved yoke at the shoulders, front and back, and the shaping of the back yoke is different than the front. On the nightgown, the long sleeves are also fully gathered, though the armholes are small, which would have made the garment less comfortable than appears. In the 1800s, nightgowns were made for warmth because bedrooms were not well heated, if they were heated at all. Therefore, the garment was made to fully cover the body, with a close-fitting neckline, long sleeves, and length down to the toes. This nightgown closes down the center front with a nine-button placket, each button slightly different. A finely gathered ruffle is stitched to the hem edge of the garment. The garment's length is 38 inches.
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.
