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Title: Lithography of dwarf 19th century | Portrait of (the carriage of) Charles Stratton, known as General Tom Thumb. 15x22 cm., 19th century.
Description: M12603. Charles Sherwood Stratton (January 4, 1838 – July 15, 1883), better known by his stage name General Tom Thumb, was an American with Dwarfism who achieved great fame as a performer under circus pioneer P.T. Barnum.During their first tour of England in the 1840s, Barnum claimed that a young Queen Victoria, thrilled at meeting Gen. Thumb, had presented him with a tiny custom-built carriage, driven by ponies and attended by little people and children in livery. The carriage, a key marketing device, was driven around London to attract the public.After seeing the little man in the little carriage, Barnum told his friend, everyone in the city would talk about Tom. Then everyone would have to pay to come and see him. It was all true except the widely advertised claim that the carriage had come from the queen. Barnum himself had ordered it built for 300 English pounds – the fee Barnum took in every day that his tiny performer was on display. See further about the search for Tom Thumb's carriage, the article of J. Dennis Robinson in Portsmouth Herald: How did Charles Stratton's mini-coach end up at UNH? [NL] Karel Stratton bekend onder de naam ' klein duimpje'.

Keywords: Transportation