Who was General Tom Thumb

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Q.� And what was unusual about him

A.� Charles was a large baby at birth, weighing 9lb. He developed normally for a while, reaching 25in long and 15lb by the age of five months. He then stopped growing. By the age of five years, he was no bigger - but otherwise he was completely normal.

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Q.� Why did he become so famous

A.� The showman P T Barnum heard about Charles, and in 1842 renamed him General Tom Thumb and put him on show.

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Q.� As a freak

A.� Yes - but it seems he was well looked-after. Indeed he became wealthy and famous. At the age of 10, Tom Thumb had already been the guest of President Polk, Queen Victoria, Isabella of Spain, and King Louis Philippe of France.

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Q.� Who else was on show

A.� Barnum's museum included a wide range of physical 'freaks', including, giants, bearded ladies, fat and thin people, and albinos. Barnum claimed to have the world's tallest, shortest, heaviest, thinnest and hairiest men and women. Americans in this era were especially interested in physical differences.

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Q.� So did Tom ever have a family

A.� He married Lavinia Warren, a dwarf, in 1863. It was a fashionable wedding held at the Grace Church in New York. President Abraham Lincoln and his wife sent wedding gifts and later received the happy, but tiny, couple at the White House.

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Q.� What about his meeting with Queen Victoria

A.� It one of P T Barnum's great achievements. While on tour in London, the reat showman took a mansion for Tom in Grafton Street, just off Bond Street. It was a coup. Many members of the nobility living nearby queued up to see the small entertainer. Among the early callers was the Edward Everett, the American ambassador to Britain. He suggested they should be received by the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

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Q.� That did the trick

A.� Word got around and a few nights later, Baroness Rothschild sent her carriage for them. The baroness and a party of 20 ladies and gentlemen received them. Tom was beginning to get noticed. One day soon afterwards, Barnum was at Everett's home for breakfast and met the Master of the Queen's Household. A heavy hint was dropped and the next day a Life Guard turned up with an invitation to the palace.

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Q.� So even more publicity

A.� Absolutely. Barnum left a notice at the hall where they were appearing: 'Closed this evening, General Tom Thumb being at Buckingham Palace by command of Her Majesty.' Tom was an immediate success. Although he had been coached on royal etiquette - don't speak until spoken to, never turn your back, etc - he bowed as he entered the picture gallery to meet his royal host. As Victorian, the Prince Consort and even the Duke of Wellington watched, he exclaimed: 'Good evening, ladies and gentlemen'. Laughter followed and the Queen then took him by the hand, led him through the gallery, asked him many questions, and he gave amusing replies. Tom then told the Queen that her picture gallery was 'first-rate', and followed with a number of songs, dances and imitations.

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He delighted the royal party as much as he did a musical hall audience. But this little man would not have a long life. Tom Thumb and his wife retired in 1882. He died of apoplexy aged 45, but she lived to be 77.

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Steve Cunningham