Becoming Tom Thumb: Charles Stratton, P. T. Barnum, and the Dawn of American Celebrity

The Long and Short of It

131 TheLongandShortofIt  N ow that Charles Stratton was married, would he stop touring , settle down, and live a life of leisure in his New England home? After the wedding, the Bridgeport Evening Standard lamented the misfortune of “our little townsman , Mr. Chas. S. Stratton” and his new wife being too much in demand: Whenever these thimblesful of humanity appear, they are instantly surrounded by a crowd of old and young. Their every movement is watched, and if they venture out of the house, they are pounced upon by the crowd which is always in waiting. If they ride out, their carriage is pursued by pedestrians and equestrians, who form a train more numerous (as well as more motley) than that of any monarch in the universe. If they come into our city on a “shopping” excursion, the store which they happen to patronize is filled with new customers who cram every corner, mount chairs and counters, and place the windows, show-­ cases and goods of the unhappy merchant in extreme peril.1 Charles complained to the newspaper that he was “obliged to encounter similar troubles” in “whatever town or city” he and Lavinia visited. Worse, “their parlor and dining-­ room are frequently invaded by an army of curiosity mongers, and nothing short of a double lock and a pair of patent bolls has proved sufficiently powerful to preserve the sanctity of their bed-­ chamber!” The Standard reporters proposed the only solution possible, suggesting “that the General should revise and reverse his decision that his wife shall not be exhibited.” If Charles did not want the money from these exhibitions, they could give it to charity, but he would not have any peace until “in some way public curiosity is satisfied.”2 Then, as now, fame was a double-­ edged sword, and celebrity-­ seekers and stalkers were a constant fact of life for the couple.To not perform or tour after the internationally reported event of their wedding would probably only encourage these ardent fans. b e c o m i n g t o m t h u m b 132 Instead of retiring or easing up on their schedule, Charles and Lavinia did the opposite, and immediately after their wedding took a train to meet the only person in the nation more famous than they. On their way, they stopped in Philadelphia and tried to get into their rooms at the Continental Hotel, but they were mobbed. The Philadelphia Ledger asked, “How they got out of the carriage probably neither themselves nor the fast thickening crowd never knew and never will know. How they ascended the staircase and made their entrée into Parlor 22, must be a matter of mystification to them to their dying days.” The NewYork Times referenced this “Brobdignagean multitude” that surrounded them, saying they had “been nearly suffocated within the living wall which suddenly surrounded them!”3 On the velvet carpet of the hotel parlor, Charles was “smiling as smiling could be,” and his face “brimmed with happiness.” Lavinia received the crowd of admirers “with grace and self-­ possession.” However, the lines of well-­ wishers stretched out the door, and the “two little mouths were kept watering” for the dinner waiting for them.4 They somehow escaped the mobs of Philadelphia for the besieged cityof Washington, where theychecked into theWillard Hotel.Charles had been to the capital several times, appearing at Carroll Hall on Baltimore Street in 1848, and later at the New American Museum, Ford’s Opera House, and the Academy of Music. And of course he had met President Polk. But the current President was someone that Charles could definitely relate to. Abraham Lincoln had reached his high station partly by his imperturbable temperament, his friendly, unselfish manner, and his incredible ability to tell folksy “droll little stories” laced with humor and morality. Also like Charles, he knew how to work a room, being both a consummate entertainer and skillful politician. Outside of his friends and neighbors, Lincoln had not been celebrated for long; it had been only five years since his seven epic debates with Stephen Douglas for the Illinois Senate in 1858. When he was nominated for President two years later he was still unknown outside of the Midwest, and eminent newspapers like the New York Herald and respected elders like Ralph Waldo Emerson disparaged the choice of this unknown man. By 1863, Lincoln had wooed many 133...