Happy Valentine’s Day from the Littlest Lovers: Tom Thumb & Lavinia Warren

“There’s someone for everybody” goes the old matchmaker’s expression, and perhaps no words rang truer on February 9, 1863, the day that professional little person Tom Thumb (Charles Stratton) married Lavinia Warren at Grace Church, New York. (I believe that’s Lavinia’s sister Minnie Warren as Maid of Honor; and Commodore Nutt as Best Man). This little stunt, the “Fairy Wedding” by the press, lightened people’s hearts during the depths of the Civil War. We present it to you in the same spirit today.

 

It wasn’t just a publicity stunt, however; the two were a real couple. But even so, their boss P.T. Barnum was probably not too unhappy when the big event resulted in coverage like this:

“I love you completely, my own, my all. But above all, I love this front page coverage in Harpers!”

Minnie Warren

The Fickle Commodore Nutt Professes His Undying Love

Today is the birthday of Huldah Pierce Warren Bump (1849-1879), the sister of the more famous Lavinia Warren, wife of General Tom Thumb. Like her sister, Minnie performed as a singer, and worked for P.T. Barnum. She was to marry fellow little person Edmund Newell, a.k.a General Grant, Jr. Sadly she died giving birth to their first child at age 29.

To find out about  the history of vaudeville, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever nutty books are sold.

For more on silent and slapstick comedy please check out my new book: Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube, just released by Bear Manor Media, also available from amazon.com etc etc etc

Lavinia Warren

Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump (1841-1919) was the most famous female little person of the 19th century, but more than that — she was one of the most famous people of the 19th century period. Descended from no less than five Mayflower passengers, she began her professional working life as a schoolteacher, then began singing on a cousin’s riverboat. First courted by fellow performing little person Commodore Nutt, she was to go with the most eligible and appropriate bachelor of her time, General Tom Thumb. Her glorious wedding in 1863, orchestrated by P.T. Barnum was one of the most talked about events of the 19th century, and provided some badly needed whimsy when the nation was mired in the absolute depths of the Civil War. She and her famous husband toured the world and became fabulously wealthy. When the General passed away in 1883, Warren was to marry Count Primo Magri.

To find out about  the history of vaudeville, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever nutty books are sold.

For more on silent and slapstick comedy please check out my new book: Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube, just released by Bear Manor Media, also available from amazon.com etc etc etc

The Brothers Magri

The Magri brothers were a pair of Italian performing little people of the 19th century. Count Primo Magri, a.k.a Count Rosebud (1849-1920) was the 2 ft, 8 in. second husband of Lavinia Warren. His brother, whose name was either Giuseppi or Ernesto (both were given) was billed both as Baron Magri and Baron Littlefinger. Count Primo and Warren were to tour the world for a number of years, eventually settling down to run a roadside tourist attraction in her native Middleborough, Massachusetts.

To learn about the history of vaudeville, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever nutty books are sold.

And don’t miss my new book Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube, just released by Bear Manor Media, also available from amazon.com etc etc etc