Tom Thumb's Carriage, circa 1875
THF87340 / Tom Thumb's Carriage, circa 1875
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Artifact Overview
This miniature carriage was custom built for entertainer Charles Stratton, better known by his stage name Tom Thumb. Discovered by P.T. Barnum, the diminutive Thumb (3 feet, 4 inches tall when fully grown) sang and danced to the delight of 19th-century audiences. Thumb advertised his show by riding in this carriage, behind a team of ponies, through cities where he performed.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Brougham (Carriage)
Date Made
circa 1875
Place of Creation
Creator Notes
Attributed to an English maker.
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
35.687.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of the University of New Hampshire.
Material
Wood (Plant material)
Glass (Material)
Leather
Corduroy
Steel (Alloy)
Rubber (Material)
Color
Black (Color)
Red
Dimensions
Height: 53.75 in
Width: 42.625 in
Length: 83 in
Wheelbase: 51.5 in
Diameter: 26.25 in (Wheel Diameter)
Diameter: 30.25 in (Wheel Diameter)
Inscriptions
Imprinted on tires on proper right side: UNION E.P. SANDERSON CO. BOSTON
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Related Content
SetOnline Horse-Drawn Vehicles Collection
- 29 Artifacts
The horse-drawn streetcar was an important means of public transportation in 19th-century American cities. New York's Brooklyn City Railroad ran this car on its line between Hunters Point in Long Island City, and Erie Basin in South Brooklyn. But horses were expensive to stable and feed -- and messy too. Operators embraced electric streetcars starting in the late 1880s.