Sofa owned by Tom Thumb (Charles Stratton)

Maker John Henry Belter (American, 1804 - 1863)

Datemid 19th Century

PeriodVictorian

MediumRosewood, silk velvet, brass

Dimensions34 3/4 × 51 × 27 1/2 in. (88.3 × 129.5 × 69.9 cm)

ClassificationsFurniture

Credit LineGift of Howard and Janice Tibbals, 2009

Object numberSN11190

Sofa owned by Tom Thumb (Charles Stratton), mid-19th century Rosewood, silk, velvet, brass Gift of Howard and Janice Tibbals, 2009 SN11190 General & Mrs. Tom Thumb Charles S. Stratton was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1838 to normal sized parents. He stopped growing at six months when he was 25 inches tall and weighed 15 pounds. Barnum met Stratton when he was four and took him to New York City where Stratton was introduced to the public as General Tom Thumb, With Barnum's promotion, he became an international star with the wealth and prestige that follows. In 1862, Barnum met Lavinia Warren Bump, a perfectly proportioned 21-year-old woman who was 31 inches tall. Lavinia joined the American Museum and, within a year, she married Tom Thumb in New York City's Grace Episcopal Church. It was the social event of the season with over 2,000 guests attending the wedding reception. After their marriage, they toured England and Europe and, in 1869, they began a three-year tour of the world as the General Tom Thumb Company. Tom Thumb died in 1883. In 1885, Lavinia married Count Magri and, with his brother, they toured as the Lilliputian Opera Company. She died in 1919. General and Mrs. Tom Thumb are buried in the Mountain Grove Cemetery, in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

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