Description:

Tom Thumb
n.p., n.d.
The "Fairy Wedding" of Tom Thumb and Lavinia Warren
CDV
A good group of three cartes-de-visite showing images from the "Fairy Wedding" of Charles Stratton, aka "Tom Thumb," and Lavinia Warren with their wedding party. Stratton poses with Lavinia and her sister Minnie (who was a bridesmaid), backstamp by Anthony from a Brady Negative; while the others show the wedding party which includes G. W. Nutt, aka "Commodore Nutt" as the resentful groomsman along with Minnie Warren. One carte exhibits heavy wear and pencil docketing on recto, the other two are very good to fine.

On February 10, 1863, Lavinia Warren, known as "The Little Queen of Beauty," married international celebrity "General Tom Thumb" in a lavish ceremony at New York's fashionable Grace Church. The two performers enjoyed a true romance before announcing their engagement, which Tom Thumb's employer, P. T. Barnum, promoted to the hilt. For weeks before the wedding, crowds of 20,000 or more paid $3,000 a day to see the bride-to-be and her engagement ring. Barnum received 15,000 requests for tickets to the reception (which cost $75 each). On the wedding day, crowds blocked Broadway for hours, and newspapers published pages of detailed descriptions of the "Fairy Wedding".

George Washington Nutt (1848-1811) known as "Commodore Nutt," first started with Barnum at the age of thirteen, and became one of his major attractions. He was in love with Lavinia Warren did not reciprocate his feelings; this caused considerable resentment - to the point the Nutt once beat up her real love, Tom Thumb. Nutt's visage in these images captures his dismay at his place in the Tom Thumb wedding. Thumb subsequently suggested that Nutt marry Lavinia's sister Minnie, however the spurned lover replied he would not marry even "the best woman living."

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 3.75"
  • Medium: CDV

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September 18, 2024 10:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

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