Scrapbook page containing a print of John Jarvis
Date1795
MediumInk on paper
Dimensions12 × 9 1/2 in. (30.5 × 24.1 cm)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineTibbals Circus Collection
Object numberht8000447
Born in 1503, John Jarvis is among the earliest documented individuals to be a “court dwarf” in England. With a height recorded at in some sources as 2 feet and elsewhere as 3 feet, 8 inches, Jarvis served as a Page of Honor in the court of Queen Mary I. The court of Mary’s half-sister, Elizabeth I included a female dwarf named Thomasina and their brother, Edward’s court included a man named Xit.
There is rich history of portraiture of European nobility accompanied by individuals with dwarfism. These so called “court dwarfs” are referred to as property of the royals and generally served as entertainment for members of court. In many cases, although their names have made it through the historical record, little else is known about these individuals. John Jarvis’s history has little more than his affiliation with the Tudor Queen. Even the image was made from a sculpture of the man rather than from life.
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