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Lot 304
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7 Cartes-de-Visite of Performing Little People in the 1870s and 1880s
7 Cartes-de-Visite of Performing Little People in the 1870s and 1880s
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Description:

19th C. Circus
New York, NY, ca. 1860s-1880s
7 Cartes-de-Visite of Performing Little People in the 1870s and 1880s
CDV
CIRCUS, Set of Seven Cartes-de-visite, ca. 1860s-1880s. Each approximately 2.5" x 4".

This small collection of cartes-de-visite captures the American fascination with "freak shows" in the nineteenth century, especially little people. Showman P. T. Barnum (1810-1891) employed many of them and gave them stage names. Under his management, they became among the most famous entertainers of their day.

Contents
- "The Reception" carte-de-visite offers an engraving of Charles Stratton (General Tom Thumb) and Lavinia Warren atop a piano at their wedding reception at New York City's Metropolitan Hotel on February 10, 1863. Although admission to the wedding at Grace Episcopal Church was free, Barnum sold thousands of tickets at $75 each for the reception. The Strattons stood with best man Commodore Nutt and maid of honor Minnie Warren (Lavinia's sister), both fellow performers and little people, on the grand piano to greet some 10,000 guests.

- "Tom Thumb and Wife" carte-de-visite shows Charles and Lavinia Stratton and their purported child. However, the couple never had children.

- Lavinia Warren Stratton, carte-de-visite published by Charles D. Fredricks & Co. of New York City.

- "Comodore Foot & The Fairie of the West & Their Father / They are now at our Hotel" carte-de-visite, published by C. D. Fredricks & Co. of New York City.
Charles Nestel (1848-1937) of Fort Wayne, Indiana, performed with the stage name Commodore Foot, and his sister Eliza Nestel (1857-1937) performed as the Fairy Queen. They met Abraham Lincoln in the White House in February 1864 and performed for Queen Victoria in 1881. Their father Daniel Nestel (1818-1898) was born in Prussia and in 1840 became an early settler of Fort Wayne, where he worked as a blacksmith. He traveled with his two children for 18 years as they performed throughout the United States and in Europe.

- "Commodore Foote His Sister & Capt Small"
This studio image portrays Charles Nestel, his sister Eliza Nestel, and Joseph Huntler ("Colonel Small") in full dress attire. Joseph Huntler (ca. 1846-1870), was born in Hamburg, Germany, and made his way to America. Promoter William Ellinger discovered him selling newspapers in Baltimore, gave him the stage name "Colonel Small," and first paired him with Charles Nestel in 1862. Ellinger introduced them to President and Mrs. Lincoln in January 1865.

- "Admiral Dot. Thirteen years old; Twenty-five inches high. Weighs only Fifteen pounds." carte-de-visite, published by E. & H. T. Anthony & Co. of New York City.
Leopold S. Kahn (ca. 1859-1918) was introduced to P. T. Barnum by his father Gabriel Kahn in San Francisco. Barnum signed him up to perform under the stage name of "Admiral Dot" or the "El Dorado Elf." In 1872, he was identified as being sixteen years old, twenty-five inches tall, and weighing nineteen pounds. His career lasted for approximately twenty years, although as he aged, he grew taller. By the turn of the century, he had settled in White Plains, New York, with his twenty-six-inch-tall wife Lottie Swartwood, and their two normal-sized children. There he opened the Admiral Dot Hotel, which burned to the ground in 1911. He died of influenza in 1918.

- "Gen. Chas. Decker, 25 years old, H[e]ight, 31 inches, Weight, 45 pounds. The smallest man in the world, of Nashville, Tenn." carte-de-visite. Central crease and some soiling.
Charles Decker (1855-1893) was born in Mississippi and moved to Memphis at age 10, where Ed Worsham employed him to sell Harper's Weekly and other periodicals for eight years. He later moved to Nashville and toured with a variety of traveling shows and circuses, including P. T. Barnum's. He died in Chicago from the effects of chronic alcoholism.

General Tom Thumb / Charles Sherwood Stratton (1838-1883) was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. With a birth weight of 9 pounds 8 ounces, Stratton grew normally for the first six months of his life then suddenly stopped growing. In the early 1850s, P. T. Barnum learned of Stratton and taught him how to sing, dance, and impersonate famous people. He made his first tour in 1843, and Barnum gave him the stage name of General Tom Thumb, after an English fairy tale. Barnum took him on a three-year tour of Europe, where he appeared before Queen Victoria and crowds wherever he went. After his return from a second tour of Europe, Stratton began to change public perceptions of "freak shows." Over the next several years, these types of performances became one of the most favored forms of theatrical entertainment. By the age of 21, Stratton was 2 feet 10 inches tall. In 1863, he married fellow little person and Barnum performer Lavinia Warren. After the wedding, President Abraham Lincoln received the couple at the White House, and the Strattons toured Europe and British India together. Under Barnum's management, Stratton became a wealthy man, and he later rescued Barnum from financial difficulty and became his business partner. Stratton made his final appearance in England in 1878. In July 1883, Stratton died unexpectedly of a stroke.

Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump Stratton (1841-1919) was born in Middleborough, Massachusetts, with a normal birthweight, and like her younger sister Minnie stopped growing early. She had a successful career as a schoolteacher, beginning at age 16, but then worked as a miniature dancer on a Mississippi showboat. She enjoyed performing and under the management of P.T. Barnum, she adopted the stage name of Lavinia Warren. In 1863, she married fellow little person and Barnum entertainer Charles Stratton, with her sister Minnie Warren as her bridesmaid. Under Barnum's management, they became famous throughout the United States and Europe. In 1872, they toured Europe and British India. Although they had no children, they pretended to for public consumption. After her husband Charles died suddenly of a stroke in 1883, she wanted to retire to private life but was persuaded to continue her career. Two years later, she married Italian little person Count Primo Magri (1849-1920), and they operated a roadside stand in Middleborough and traveled the world performing. She died in November 1919 and is buried beside her first husband.

Commodore Nutt / George Washington Morrison Nutt (1848-1881) was born in New Hampshire to a wealthy farmer and his wife. He may have begun his entertainment career as early as 1854 in a Manchester circus. By 1861, he was touring New England with a circus, when P. T. Barnum hired him to appear at his American Museum in New York City. Barnum gave him a wardrobe that included naval uniforms and gave him the stage name Commodore Nutt. Although he was in love with fellow little person Lavinia Warren, she married General Tom Thumb. Between 1869 and 1872, Nutt turned the world with the Thumbs and Minnie Warren, Lavinia's sister. After a disagreement with Barnum, Nutt left and toured with a comic opera company. He then established a variety show on the West Coast and operated saloons in Oregon and California. In 1879, he married Lilian Elston of Redwood City, California. He later returned to New York City, where he died of Bright's disease in May 1881.

Minnie Warren / Huldah Pierce Warren Bump (1849-1878) was born in Middleborough, Massachusetts. Although both she and her sister Lavinia were born at a normal birth weight, they stopped growing early in their lives. She and her sister were little people and entertainers associated with P. T. Barnum. Her sister married General Tom Thumb. Minnie also performed as a singer. In July 1877, she married fellow little person Edmund Newell (1857-1915), who also worked for P. T. Barnum. In July 1878, she died from complications in childbirth. The baby died a few hours later.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 2.5" x 4"
  • Medium: CDV

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