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Jacket worn by General Tom Thumb thumbnail 2
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Jacket worn by General Tom Thumb

Jacket
ca.1850 (made)

Charles Sherwood Stratton (1838-1883), more widely known by his stage name General Tom Thumb was a significant celebrity and performer in the history of 19th century popular entertainment, both in the UK and worldwide. He was encouraged by American showman, entrepreneur and businessman Phineas T. Barnum (1810-1891) to recite, sing and do comic impersonations dressed as various characters. Barnum took advantage of Stratton’s height, a result of his proportionate dwarfism, and engaged him to feature in a number of his shows, exhibitions and tours. Stratton was a sensation when he appeared in London’s Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly in 1844, and was invited for an audience with Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace, where he also performed. His popularity in London and his depiction in numerous prints and publications says much for the insatiable appetite of the contemporary public for performers from a variety of backgrounds, statures, and medical conditions, who were historically referred to using the derogatory term ‘curiosities’ due to their physical appearance. In 1863 Stratton married fellow performer Mercy Lavinia Warren, who also had a form of proportionate dwarfism. They continued touring and performing until his death following a stroke on 15th July 1883.

This is the larger of two Napoleon jackets worn by Stratton and acquired by the museum from the same source, along with a set of epaulettes, a waistcoat and breeches, an undershirt and boots. Of all his comic impersonations. Napoleon was his most popular, and one he performed repeatedly throughout his career, causing a need for several different sized jackets as he grew. Contemporary photographs also show that his various Napoleon jackets differed slightly in design.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleJacket worn by General Tom Thumb (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Wool, silk, brass buttons and hook and eye fastenings
Brief description
Jacket worn as Napoleon Bonaparte by Charles Stratton (1838-1883), known as General Tom Thumb
Physical description
Green and cream wool jacket with red lapels, border and cuffs, cream and red silk lining, one gold braid epaulette holder, brass hook and eye fastenings and twenty-four brass buttons
Dimensions
  • Length: 44.0cm (Centre back of jacket from top of collar to bottom of hem)
Object history
This jacket, along with an almost identical but slightly smaller jacket, a waistcoat, breeches, undershirt, pair of boots and a single boot, were bought by the vendor's father at auction in Taunton in the 1950s, but the vendor does not know its name.
Association
Summary
Charles Sherwood Stratton (1838-1883), more widely known by his stage name General Tom Thumb was a significant celebrity and performer in the history of 19th century popular entertainment, both in the UK and worldwide. He was encouraged by American showman, entrepreneur and businessman Phineas T. Barnum (1810-1891) to recite, sing and do comic impersonations dressed as various characters. Barnum took advantage of Stratton’s height, a result of his proportionate dwarfism, and engaged him to feature in a number of his shows, exhibitions and tours. Stratton was a sensation when he appeared in London’s Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly in 1844, and was invited for an audience with Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace, where he also performed. His popularity in London and his depiction in numerous prints and publications says much for the insatiable appetite of the contemporary public for performers from a variety of backgrounds, statures, and medical conditions, who were historically referred to using the derogatory term ‘curiosities’ due to their physical appearance. In 1863 Stratton married fellow performer Mercy Lavinia Warren, who also had a form of proportionate dwarfism. They continued touring and performing until his death following a stroke on 15th July 1883.

This is the larger of two Napoleon jackets worn by Stratton and acquired by the museum from the same source, along with a set of epaulettes, a waistcoat and breeches, an undershirt and boots. Of all his comic impersonations. Napoleon was his most popular, and one he performed repeatedly throughout his career, causing a need for several different sized jackets as he grew. Contemporary photographs also show that his various Napoleon jackets differed slightly in design.


Associated objects
Collection
Accession number
S.80-2023

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Record createdFebruary 10, 2023
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