Photograph: Carte de visite General Tom Thumb and Wife, Comm. Nutt, and Miss Warren

This is a carte de visite photograph, circa 1865, of Charles S. Stratton, M. Lavinia Warren Stratton, George Washington Morrison Nutt, and Minnie Warren, who formed the wedding party of the Fairy Wedding, February 10, 1863. Nutt was the best man and Minnie Warren, the bridesmaid. The carte de visite’s caption reads, "General Tom Thumb and Wife, Commodore Nutt, and Miss Minnie Warren, wearing the identical costumes they wore in front of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, at Windsor Castle, on June 24, 1865." Cartes de visites are photographs mounted on a card about the size of a baseball card, about 2.5 by 4 inches; they were popular from about the late 1850s through the 1870s. Collecting cartes de visite of entertainers and famous politicians was a popular pastime. The inscription on the reverse reads: "Compliments of . . . " and lists the signatures of the four. It appears to be hand-written but is actually printed, indicating the carte de visite was a souvenir item made to look as if it was personally signed. Also on the back is the imprint of the publisher, E. and H. T. Anthony, 501 Broadway, New York, "Manufacturers of the Best Photographic Albums." The original photograph was probably taken by Mathew Brady's studio, also on Broadway, while the production of the souvenir photos was contracted out to the Anthony brothers. Charles S. Stratton (January 4, 1838 - July 15, 1883), known as General Tom Thumb, was an entertainer and Bridgeport Conn. native who got his start with P.T. Barnum in 1842. Stratton's parents signed him with Barnum at age 4, as exhibiting those with dwarfism was lucrative at the time. Stratton took quickly to performing, and he entertained audiences worldwide, including nobility such as Queen Victoria. Stratton married fellow performer M. Lavinia Warren and the two had a happy marriage. Stratton's performances brought him renown as a celebrity, perhaps one of the biggest at the time, and he and Warren were able to live comfortably when not working. On 15 July 1883, Stratton suffered a stroke and passed away. He is buried at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, Connecticut, with his wife beside him. Mercy Lavinia Warren (nee Bump) Stratton (October 31, 1841 - November 25, 1919), then Mercy Lavinia Magri, was a well known entertainer during the latter half of the 1800s. She first became a schoolteacher, but at the encouragement of a relative, she began her career as a performer on a river boat (Spaulding & Rogers boat shows); exhibiting little people (people with dwarfism) was profitable at the time. Warren signed with showman P. T. Barnum when she was 21. In December of 1862, Charles S. Stratton (General Tom Thumb) began courting Lavinia and their whirlwind romance led to their famed marriage, "The Fairy Wedding," just two months later on February 10, 1863, with Lavinia's younger sister, Minnie Warren as bridesmaid and "Commodore Nutt" as best man. The Strattons worked and toured together as celebrities, and had a happy marriage. Following Stratton’s death in 1883, Warren married Primo Magri, an Italian entertainer of a similar stature, on April 6, 1885. Magri and Warren toured, and also operated a roadside stand in Middleboro, Massachusetts, her home town. Warren died at age 78 on November 25, 1919. She is buried beside Stratton at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, Connecticut. George Washington Morrison Nutt (April 1, 1848 - May 25, 1881), known by his stage name Commodore Nutt, was an entertainer who worked for P.T. Barnum. Nutt was exhibited for his small stature at a young age; he signed with Barnum at age 13. Nutt was sometimes paired with Charles S. Stratton, the first little person Barnum hired, and later Nutt joined forces with Stratton, his wife Lavinia Warren, and Lavinia’s sister Minnie Warren, for a world tour. Nutt was ten years younger than Stratton. As Stratton outgrew his boyish appeal, Barnum realized he needed to infuse performances with a fresh young face. After the Stratton's wedding, it was rumored that Nutt would woo Lavinia's younger sister Minnie, but she later married another man. Nutt was highly promoted by Barnum though never gained the same acclaim that Stratton had. Nutt quit the company in 1872, and as his own attempts to start a company never quite took off, his financial resources dwindled. Nutt died of Bright's disease on 25 May, 1881 in New York City. Huldah Pierce Warren Bump, known as "Minnie Warren," was the younger sister of Lavinia Warren, born June 2, 1849. Also a little person, she was smaller than her sister. As a performer, she toured with Lavinia and her husband Charles Stratton. Minnie married performer Edmund Newell ("Major Edward Newell") in 1877. She gave birth to their child on July 23, 1878, but as the infant weighed six pounds, Minnie died from childbirth, and the infant died soon after. They are buried at Nemasket Hill Cemetery in Middleboro, Massachusetts.