Lavinia Warren: Dwarfism and Intrigue

Humankind has always had a peculiar interest in the unusual. From being forced to perform as jesters in medieval courts to being subjected to horrendous medical experimentation at the hands of Nazi pseudo-doctors, dwarves in particular have enjoyed (or suffered from) a special and intriguing relationship with the rest of humanity. Dwarves have had many names over the ages- midgets and little people, for example, but the vast majority of these names have fallen out of use simply because they often stemmed from disrespect or heightism.

Dwarfism comes in many forms, although the commonly accepted definition includes anyone under the height of 4 feet and 10 inches as possible candidates for the condition. Obviously, not everyone under this height classifies as a dwarf, but as a general definition, it is accepted. Over 300 medical conditions (usually genetic) have been discovered as possible causes of stunted growth, but most can be categorized into two groups, each with a separate result- disproportionate and proportionate dwarfism. Disproportionate dwarfism results in one or more body part being significantly larger or smaller than those of an average adult, whereas proportionate dwarves are regularly proportioned, essentially miniature versions of their average counterparts.

Lavinia Warren, born in 1841 as Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump, was a proportionate dwarf who achieved great success in her lifetime. Hailing from Massachusetts, she was descended from the most prominent New England families- the Hopkins, Warren, Mayhew, Cooke,  Doty, and Billington families, just to name a few. These families intermarried over and over, resulting in inbreeding. Looking back on her family tree, it's a little disconcerting (and, quite frankly, disgusting) just how commonly cousins married. Lavinia's younger sister, Huldah (though often called Minnie), was also a proportionate dwarf who followed in Lavinia's footsteps.

At the age of 16, Lavinia (then known by her original name, Mercy) became a schoolteacher. She was well-respected by both her students and her peers in New England's snooty upper-class society. However, she threw that all out the window when she decided that she wanted adventure more than propriety. She began to work as a singer and dancer on a showboat that ran up and down the Mississippi river.

She eventually learned of the incredible success other dwarves had found in the circus industry, especially that of a man named General Tom Thumb. She joined P. T. Barnum's circus, and Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump officially changed her name to Lavinia Warren. While a part of the circus, she travelled all around the globe. She met Abraham Lincoln in the White House during his presidency, and she was welcomed by kings and queens while abroad in the early 1870s. She became a novelty, a woman of the world, and a much sought-after performer. Today, we might see this supposed success as the product of inhumane treatment, seeing as she was essentially paraded about as a "freak" in Victorian-era circuses and carnivals, but she was proud of her accomplishments. To her contemporaries, this kind of success was unprecedented for a woman, much less for a female dwarf!

Commodore Nutt (1848-1881)

General Tom Thumb (1838-1883)

Lavinia's personal life certainly wasn't lacking. She was romantically pursued by a number of men, especially another dwarf known as Commodore Nutt. He was absolutely infatuated with her, even though she was several years older and saw him only as a "nice little boy." He wooed her for years- but to no avail. She had fallen in love with another, the aforementioned General Tom Thumb. Born Charles Sherwood Stratton, he was also descended from prominent (if incredibly inbred) New England families. He had been performing since the age of five, and the routines in which he impersonated Napoleon and/or Cupid were insanely popular.
Luckily, Lavinia's feelings for Tom Thumb were reciprocated, and they married on February 10, 1863. The wedding was better attended than certain Civil War battles with several thousand attendants at and around Grace Episcopal Church in New York City. While admission to the wedding itself was free, P. T. Barnum sold tickets to the reception for $75 each to the first 5,000 to apply. As the prescribed 5,000 entered the Metropolitan Hotel for the reception, the newlyweds greeted their guests while standing atop the grand piano in the lobby. Known as the "Fairy Wedding," the event provided a welcome break for many Americans from the arduous Civil War. There was, however, a bit of a speed bump in their wedding ceremony. As part of the promotion for the event, P. T. Barnum had asked Commodore Nutt to be Tom Thumb's best man. And yes, you remember correctly- that's the same man who had spent years falling in love with the woman who was about to become someone else's bride. Quite frankly, the wedding picture says it all (see below).

Commodore Nutt (far left) was obviously unhappy with the situation and later stated that he'd refuse to marry "the best woman alive" after such an ordeal. He did, however,  remain good friends with Lavinia's younger sister (seen on the far right) for the rest of his life.

As a couple, the duo became even more popular. They amassed quite a fortune, making each of them millionaires in their own right by modern standards. They did have one child, a daughter, who died at a young age. The two were nearly killed by "one of the worst hotel fires in history" at the Newhall House in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but they were rescued by their manager at the last second. Within six months of this incident in 1883, Lavinia's beloved husband died suddenly from a stroke at the age of 45.

Two years later, Lavinia found love again. (Spoiler- it's still not Commodore Nutt.) She married Italian dwarf Count Primo Magri, and they operated a small but famous roadside stand in her hometown of Middleborough, Massachusetts. Her last major appearance was in 1915 when she appeared alongside her second husband in a silent film named The Lilliputian's Courtship at the age of 73.

Lavinia died peacefully on November 25, 1918 and was interred beside her first husband with a gravestone reading, "His Wife." She lived her life without apology, simply because she didn't believe that she needed to apologize for her height. Quite frankly, she was right. In a time in which women were quite restrained, she managed to travel the world and earn money in her own right, despite having what her contemporaries described as an "unusual and unfortunate physical appearance."