Sheet Music: "Tom Thumb Polka" with a "History of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Thumb"
Edna L. Bump (created by)
Tom Thumb Publishing Co. Edaville Railroad (published by)
Charles S. Stratton (General Tom Thumb)
Southworth, Mary (associated with)
M. Lavinia Warren (associated with)
Tom Thumb Publishing Co. Edaville Railroad (published by)
Charles S. Stratton (General Tom Thumb)
Southworth, Mary (associated with)
M. Lavinia Warren (associated with)
1949 (Date manufactured/created)
12.25 in H
X
9.25 in W
Sheet music for the Tom Thumb Polka, with lyrics by Henry B. Burkland and arranged by Edna L. Bump.
The sheet music covers, both front and back are printed in red ink. The front features a photographic image of the couple in their wedding attire. Inside are three pages of musical notation with lyrics that are the imagined words of Charles and Lavinia at the time of their courtship. On the back is a brief history of the celebrity pair, written by Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin J. Bump, and describes their efforts to re-acquire artifacts that had been dispersed at auction in 1920, a year after Lavinia's death. It also notes that purchase of the music will help support a small museum in South Carver, Massachusettes, where items belonging to Charles and Lavinia were displayed.
Edna L. Bump, wife of Benjamin J. Bump, was the music arranger of this polka. Bump was the family surname of "Mrs. Gen. Tom Thumb," whose full name was Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump. Benjamin James Bump was a collateral descendant of Lavinia; she and Charles did not have children. When Lavinia began working for P. T. Barnum in 1862--and was unmarried at that point, though soon to be engaged to Charles--he suggested shortening her name to Lavinia Warren, thinking it more suitable for the performer he promoted as the "Queen of Beauty." Thus the family name Bump is not readily associated with Lavinia Warren.
While published in the 149, this music was originally created in 1863 when Charles S. Stratton, better known as "Gen. Tom Thumb," married Lavinia Warren, and P. T. Barnum's promotion of their grand wedding inspired innumerable souvenirs celebrating the diminutive couple. The wedding of Charles and Lavinia had captured the public's imagination, so a "Tom Thumb Polka" would have been a popular item. That is coupled with the fact that during that time the polka, originally Bohemian, had become a very popular dance in other areas of Europe and in America, so a lot of polka sheet music was published with titles reflecting current popular interests or fads.
The wedding of Charles S. Stratton and Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump took place on February 10, 1863 at Grace Church on Broadway in New York City. It was highly publicized by P. T. Barnum and was dubbed "The Fairy Wedding" because all four members of the wedding party were little people with the condition of proportionate dwarfism. The ceremony took place only two months after the couple first met at Barnum's Museum, where Lavinia had recently been hired as a performer. Charles had been employed by Barnum from the age of five, and he was twenty-five years old when he married Lavinia. Lavinia's younger sister, Minnie Warren, served as her bridesmaid, and George Washington Morrison Nutt, also a Barnum performer--known as Commodore Nutt--was the best man. Barnum's intense promotion of the event made it front page news, breaking for a brief time the relentless news of the Civil War. The Fairy Wedding proved to be a welcome change to a war-weary public. Newspapers and magazines in both the U. S. and in England, where Stratton had previously toured, covered the story, and included lengthy descriptions of the lavish reception and gifts presented to the couple from companies like Tiffany's.
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, and less than two feet tall owing to the condition of proportionate dwarfism. His growth had virtually ceased when he was just seven months old, though he eventually grew to a height of 42 inches over the course of his life. 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 (October 31, 1841-November 25, 1919); the two had a happy marriage, and continued touring and performing. On July 15, 1883, Stratton suffered a stroke and passed away. He was buried at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His wife remarried in 1885. Upon her death in 1919, she was buried beside her first husband.
The sheet music covers, both front and back are printed in red ink. The front features a photographic image of the couple in their wedding attire. Inside are three pages of musical notation with lyrics that are the imagined words of Charles and Lavinia at the time of their courtship. On the back is a brief history of the celebrity pair, written by Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin J. Bump, and describes their efforts to re-acquire artifacts that had been dispersed at auction in 1920, a year after Lavinia's death. It also notes that purchase of the music will help support a small museum in South Carver, Massachusettes, where items belonging to Charles and Lavinia were displayed.
Edna L. Bump, wife of Benjamin J. Bump, was the music arranger of this polka. Bump was the family surname of "Mrs. Gen. Tom Thumb," whose full name was Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump. Benjamin James Bump was a collateral descendant of Lavinia; she and Charles did not have children. When Lavinia began working for P. T. Barnum in 1862--and was unmarried at that point, though soon to be engaged to Charles--he suggested shortening her name to Lavinia Warren, thinking it more suitable for the performer he promoted as the "Queen of Beauty." Thus the family name Bump is not readily associated with Lavinia Warren.
While published in the 149, this music was originally created in 1863 when Charles S. Stratton, better known as "Gen. Tom Thumb," married Lavinia Warren, and P. T. Barnum's promotion of their grand wedding inspired innumerable souvenirs celebrating the diminutive couple. The wedding of Charles and Lavinia had captured the public's imagination, so a "Tom Thumb Polka" would have been a popular item. That is coupled with the fact that during that time the polka, originally Bohemian, had become a very popular dance in other areas of Europe and in America, so a lot of polka sheet music was published with titles reflecting current popular interests or fads.
The wedding of Charles S. Stratton and Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump took place on February 10, 1863 at Grace Church on Broadway in New York City. It was highly publicized by P. T. Barnum and was dubbed "The Fairy Wedding" because all four members of the wedding party were little people with the condition of proportionate dwarfism. The ceremony took place only two months after the couple first met at Barnum's Museum, where Lavinia had recently been hired as a performer. Charles had been employed by Barnum from the age of five, and he was twenty-five years old when he married Lavinia. Lavinia's younger sister, Minnie Warren, served as her bridesmaid, and George Washington Morrison Nutt, also a Barnum performer--known as Commodore Nutt--was the best man. Barnum's intense promotion of the event made it front page news, breaking for a brief time the relentless news of the Civil War. The Fairy Wedding proved to be a welcome change to a war-weary public. Newspapers and magazines in both the U. S. and in England, where Stratton had previously toured, covered the story, and included lengthy descriptions of the lavish reception and gifts presented to the couple from companies like Tiffany's.
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, and less than two feet tall owing to the condition of proportionate dwarfism. His growth had virtually ceased when he was just seven months old, though he eventually grew to a height of 42 inches over the course of his life. 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 (October 31, 1841-November 25, 1919); the two had a happy marriage, and continued touring and performing. On July 15, 1883, Stratton suffered a stroke and passed away. He was buried at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His wife remarried in 1885. Upon her death in 1919, she was buried beside her first husband.
EL 1988.153.001