1898

Performing a “Tom Thumb Wedding,” Ashland, MO., c. 1898. The dwarf performer, Tom Thumb, of P.T. Barnum’s circus, was married in New York City in 1863. Years later, children would perform a “faux wedding”, similar to adult weddings. This photograph is a group of Ashland children. l-r: Eulalie Pape, flower girl; unidentified boy Martin; Freda Pape; Van Court Sappington; Nell Sapp; William Sapp, groom; Velma Martin, bride; Reba Harris; Ray Hazell; Opal Crump; William Vandiver; Mabel Forbis, flower girl. Photo originally published by Boone County History & Culture Center and republished with permission.