Item 25: Autograph of [Lavinia Warren], “Mrs. Charles S. Stratton,” , no date
Item — Box: 12, Folder: 25
Dates
- Created: no date
Creator
Disclaimer for Name and Subject Authorities
Some of the name and subject authority tags have been assigned by educated guessing and estimation of persons and subjects by region, age, profession, and familial relationships. They have been thoroughly researched by using primary and secondary sources available digitally, and named in each description, or in some cases linked directly to the person tag.
Access:
All series and subseries within this collection are open for research, with the exception of a few files within the Academia series that are restricted. The Academia series contains financial and sensitive institutional records from Wilkes College, and financial report records from Princeton University that will remain restricted for 80 years upon creation.
Extent
1 items
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Type of Material:
Autograph
Condition Note:
Good.
Measurements:
4 ⅜ in. x 1 ⅜ in.
Description:
This is an autograph signed by Mrs. Charles S. Stratton, identified as Lavinia Warren.
Lavinia Warren was born October 31, 1841 in Middleborough, Massachusetts. Warren worked as a respected and intelligent teacher in her youth until, at the age of 16, she performed on her cousin’s Mississippi showboat as a miniature dancing chanteuse. Warren was born with dwarfism and cultivated a public identity in which she performed for a company owned by Phineas Taylor Barnum, a show manager, and appeared in any shows and a silent film, The Lilliputians' Courtship in 1915. Warren met her husband, Charles Stratton while they were both working for Barnum's American Museum. They would have the biggest and most popular wedding, where the couple would greet guests situated upon a grand piano, and Barnum charged tickets for the reception. Though Warren found a love of performing and continued on her career for the remainder of her life, she expressed disappointment in the way that she was viewed or treated by the public. She often spoke candidly about her feelings on the subject, hoping to make people understand. After the death of her husband in 1883, Warren mentioned wanting to give up her public life, however, she continued in her performances after heavy persuasion. It was at 73 she appeared in The Lilliputians' Courtship.
Transcription:
Compliments of
Mrs. Charles S. Stratton
or Mrs. General Tom Thumb.
Repository Details
Part of the Wilkes University Archives Repository
Contact:
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu