Toys and games: M. Lavinina Warren paper doll, figure wearing green dress
1863 – 1870 (Date manufactured/created)
Paper Documentary Artifact
Paper doll figure depicting M. Lavinia Warren, better known as Mrs. General Tom Thumb, the wife of Charles S. Stratton. Their marriage in 1863 set them on a course to achieve international celebrity, and a wide variety of souvenir items were produced to capitalize on the "miniature" couple's immense popularity. Though paper dolls were not new in the 1860s, they were becoming a more popular pastime for children due to the greater affordability of printed items, including books, magazines, and puzzles. As little people with the condition of proportionate dwarfism, Charles and Lavinia would probably have been likened to "dolls" in the public imagination, and thus perhaps one of the reasons paper dolls were made in their image. In addition, Charles's character performances in costume presented a perfect opportunity for creating a paper doll wardrobe, as did Lavinia's taste for fashionable, expensive clothing.
This figure was cut from the cover of the booklet containing a set of paper dolls by McLoughlin Bro's., Publishers, 30 Beekman Street in New York City. The dress is a green ball gown, with pleated trimming in a darker shade and a red bow at the bosom. A narrow trim edges the bodice at the neckline and just below the bust line. Wider trim decorates the skirt beginning at the waistline and extending down the front of the dress, curving around the lower edge of the skirt. The figure is shown with short gloves, and appears to be holding a fan, from which tassels hang down. The backside of the doll is printed text, giving instructions on how to cut and fold the paper garments, which would then be slid over the doll figure. The publisher probably did not intend the figure on the booklet's cover to be cut out. This same gown (without the figure) appears in another set of paper dolls but is shown in white gown with blue trimming, which indicates these were hand-colored and could vary in their look.
The set that this item was part of was likely produced around 1863 or soon after, amidst the hype of the couple's marriage. Their wedding was heavily promoted by P.T. Barnum, who called it the Fairy Wedding and elevated it to the biggest social event in New York City society. The bridesmaid, Lavinia's younger sister Minnie, and the best man, George Washington Morrison Nutt, better known by his stage name Commodore Nutt, were also little people, and paper doll sets were produced with their images as well.
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.
This figure was cut from the cover of the booklet containing a set of paper dolls by McLoughlin Bro's., Publishers, 30 Beekman Street in New York City. The dress is a green ball gown, with pleated trimming in a darker shade and a red bow at the bosom. A narrow trim edges the bodice at the neckline and just below the bust line. Wider trim decorates the skirt beginning at the waistline and extending down the front of the dress, curving around the lower edge of the skirt. The figure is shown with short gloves, and appears to be holding a fan, from which tassels hang down. The backside of the doll is printed text, giving instructions on how to cut and fold the paper garments, which would then be slid over the doll figure. The publisher probably did not intend the figure on the booklet's cover to be cut out. This same gown (without the figure) appears in another set of paper dolls but is shown in white gown with blue trimming, which indicates these were hand-colored and could vary in their look.
The set that this item was part of was likely produced around 1863 or soon after, amidst the hype of the couple's marriage. Their wedding was heavily promoted by P.T. Barnum, who called it the Fairy Wedding and elevated it to the biggest social event in New York City society. The bridesmaid, Lavinia's younger sister Minnie, and the best man, George Washington Morrison Nutt, better known by his stage name Commodore Nutt, were also little people, and paper doll sets were produced with their images as well.
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.
A Gift of the Discovery Museum, Bridgeport, Connecticut
2003.009.062 B