Handwritten caption (barely visible at the bottom of the photo above): "Mr. & Mrs. T. Thumb." Handwritten note on the back of the photo: "Mr. & Mrs. Tom Thumb." Printed on the back of the photo: "Published by the New York Photographic Co., No. 453 Broadway, New York."
Other versions of this photo are captioned "Mr. & Mrs. 'General Tom Thumb' in Their Wedding Costumes" (see, for instance, Photo_History's copy, Tom Thumb's Wedding by Brady, on Flickr).
As Wikipedia explains, "General Tom Thumb was the stage name of Charles Sherwood Stratton" (1838-1883), a little person who became famous as a performer for circus promoter P. T. Barnum. His marriage to Lavinia Warren (1841-1919), a little person who was a former school teacher, took place on February 10, 1863, and received extensive publicity.
Stratton died in 1883, and Lavinia married another little person, Count Primo Magri (1849-1920), in 1885 (see a photo of Count and Countess Magri). Despite her marriage to Magri, Lavinia continued to make appearances as Mrs. General Tom Thumb (see a 1912 theater advertisement and an undated green ticket). Lavinia died in 1919 and was buried next to her first husband. Magri passed away the following year.
After all the publicity generated by Lavinia and Stratton's marriage in 1863, people began referring to the playful mock marriages in which children assume the roles of bride and groom as "Tom Thumb weddings." These events are still held today by churches and other groups for fundraising and entertainment purposes (see a photo of a children's mock wedding held in the 1920s).
A weddings photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park.
Tags: ephemera photographs photos CDV CDVs carte de visite found photos portraits Thumb General Tom Thumb Tom Thumb generals Stratton Charles Sherwood Stratton Charles S. Stratton Charles Stratton Mrs. General Tom Thumb Mrs. Tom Tumb Warren Lavinia Warren Bump Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump little people little persons dwarves dwarfism men women clothes clothing suits dresses weddings marriages brides bridegrooms grooms borders banners scrolls scrollwork shields stars stripes Victorian 19th century nineteenth century antique old vintage typefaces type typography fonts New York Photographic Co. Broadway Avenue New York City NY New York photographers studios vptp
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Handwritten note on this CDV photo back : "Mr. & Mrs. Tom Thumb."
Backmark: "Published by the New York Photographic Co., No. 453 Broadway, New York."
For the photo on the front of this CDV, see Mr. and Mrs. Tom Thumb in Their Wedding Attire.
Tags: ephemera photographs photos CDV CDVs carte de visite found photos portraits Thumb General Tom Thumb Tom Thumb generals Stratton Charles Sherwood Stratton Charles S. Stratton Charles Stratton Mrs. General Tom Thumb Mrs. Tom Tumb Warren Lavinia Warren Bump Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump little people little persons dwarves dwarfism men women clothes clothing suits dresses weddings marriages brides bridegrooms grooms borders banners scrolls scrollwork shields stars stripes Victorian 19th century nineteenth century antique old vintage typefaces type typography fonts New York Photographic Co. Broadway Avenue New York City NY New York photographers studios vptp backs backmarks card backs advertising advertisements ads
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"Compliments of A. D. Harding, artistic photographer, 42 Main St., Susquehanna, Penn'a. Satisfaction guaranteed."
For a delightful collection of similar cards with photos, see Photo_History's set of Calling Cards, Business Cards, and ID Cards.
Tags: ephemera photographs photos CDV CDVs carte de visite business cards trade cards calling cards visiting cards advertising advertisements ads A. D. Harding photographers toys dolls wedding gowns wedding dresses Susquehanna Pa. Susquehanna Depot Susquehanna County Pennsylvania antique old vintage typefaces type typography Main Street Harding Victorian 19th century nineteenth century found photos fonts
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Printed on the back of this photo: "Kodacolor Print, Sept. 68" (at least I think it's 1968--the date is a little smudged).
Originally posted as an at the wedding (but not the bride or groom) photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park.
Tags: ephemera photographs photos found photos color photos snapshots Kodacolor children boys girls ring bearers flower girls dances dancing dance floors weddings marriages men women cute candles tables 1968 1960s antique old vintage vptp
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See The Bride Wore Glasses for a repost of this photo along with a collection of other amusing and interesting images of bespectacled brides.
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