Mr. and Mrs. Tom Thumb

A weddings photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Handwritten caption (barely visible at the bottom of the photo above): "Mr. & Mrs. T. Thumb." Handwritten note on the back of the photo (see below): "Mr. & Mrs. Tom Thumb." Printed on the back of the photo: "Published by the New York Photographic Co., No. 453 Broadway, New York." Other versions of this photo are captioned "Mr. & Mrs. 'General Tom Thumb' in Their Wedding Costumes" (see, for instance, Photo_History's copy, Tom Thumb's Wedding by Brady , on Flickr). As Wikipedia explains, " General Tom Thumb was the stage name of Charles Sherwood Stratton" (1838-1883), a little person who became famous as a performer for circus promoter P. T. Barnum. His marriage to Lavinia Warren (1841-1919), a little person who was a former school teacher, took place on February 10, 1863, and received extensive publicity. Stratton died in 1883, and Lavinia married another little person, Count Primo Magri (1849-1920), in 1885 (see the photo of Count and Countess Magri below). Despite her marriage to Magri, Lavinia continued to make appearances as Mrs. General Tom Thumb (see below for a 1912 theater advertisement and an undated green ticket ). Lavinia died in 1919 and was buried next to her first husband. Magri passed away the following year. After all the publicity generated by Lavinia and Stratton's marriage in 1863, people began referring to the playful mock marriages in which children assume the roles of bride and groom as "Tom Thumb weddings." These events are still held today by churches and other groups for fundraising and entertainment purposes (see below for a photo of a children's mock wedding held in the 1920s ).

Handwritten note on this CDV photo back : "Mr. & Mrs. Tom Thumb." Backmark: "Published by the New York Photographic Co., No. 453 Broadway, New York." For the photo on the front of this CDV, see Mr. and Mrs. Tom Thumb in Their Wedding Attire :

The Italian Count Primo Magri married Lavinia Warren , who was the widow of General Tom Thumb , in 1885. . For the back of this photo, see Count and Countess Magri (Back) (below, left). For more information about Lavinia Warren and her first husband, see Mr. and Mrs. Tom Thumb in Their Wedding Attire (below, right).

Handwritten note on this CDV photo back: "Count Primo Magri from Bologna, Italy. Countess." For the photo on the front of this CDV, see Count and Countess Magri :

"Mrs. General Tom Thumb, compliments, Trenton Theatre, ladies' and children's matinee, Friday, February 16th, 1912." See also Mrs. General Tom Thumb Co., Admit One : For more information, see Mr. and Mrs. Tom Thumb in Their Wedding Attire :

"Mrs. General Tom Thumb Co. Admit one. W. J. Maxwell, manager. R. B. Marsh, business manager." See also Mrs. General Tom Thumb, Trenton Theatre, 1912 (below, left). For more information, see Mr. and Mrs. Tom Thumb in Their Wedding Attire (below, right).

Be sure to take a look at the cropped version of this photo to see the charming expressions of the bride, groom, and other cute members of the bridal party. From the Dente Studio, Newport, Pa.

I sense that the bride and groom may have had some second thoughts as they posed for this photo. See also the full version of this photo. From the Dente Studio, Newport, Pa.