The Royal American Midgets, or 19th Century London's Obsession with the Different

During the early to mid 1880's, a duo of little people, known as Uffner's Royal American Midgets, held the city of London's attention with their claim of being the smallest man and woman in the world. The many articles written about the duo in the Times of London serve as evidence of their popularity in London and with the residents of the city's fascination with those so different from themselves. The popularity of the Midgets had even grown so large at the time that they were featured in an article in the New York Times around the same time.

 The first article appears in November 19, 1890's issue of the times, in which the original pair known as the Midgets, General Mite and Lucia Zarate, were introduced. The article describes Zarate, who had come from South America, in depth and with great fascination. The article mentions such thing as her appearance (including her "dark ... complexion" and "ugl[iness]", size, personality, ability to speak English, as well as her background. The author even claims that she resembled "a full-grown monkey" and was "uneducated." The article goes on to say that Zarate was exhibited in the United States for close to 10 years prior to coming to London. Much of the article consists of comparing the height of the couple to other "dwarfs" from around the world, as well as historical examples of little people, in an effort to prove or disprove the claim of being the smallest in the world.

The next mention of the duo was made almost a year later in the April 14, 1881 issue of the Times. This article, of a considerably shorter length, was simply an advertisement for the duo, who were performing at the Alexandra Palace. Given it's length, this article does not provide much added context aside from the evidence that the duo were still quite popular and still held the attention of the people of London. This article also features a short list of statistics about the couple, including their height and weight, probably to entice potential audience members. This article also marked the last performance in the Midgets' first tour of London.

The third article comes on December 27, 1883, a considerably long time after the first two articles. This article takes place after the Midgets' return to London, apparently after touring throughout Germany and France, evidence that the obsession with little people extended throughout Europe at the time. This article also seems to describe the couple in a much improved manner to the proving one, calling them "perfectly intelligent." The article also praises the skill of the duo in performances of all kinds, stating that they have learned and improved during their tour through Germany and France. This serves as evidence that while the diminutive stature of the duo probably was the main aspect of the duo that drew crowds, the people of London also appreciated more traditional examples of skill and art, such as singing and horseback riding.

The fourth article is from May 29, 1884, and describes the marriage of General Mite to an English little person, Millie Edwards. The article presents the wedding as quite the elaborate ceremony with many London residents attending and watching the wedding, showing that General Mite had a gained a small amount of celebrity status by that time. The wedding, which featured small blue carriages carrying the bride and groom, was so popular at the time that the church at which it was held even sold tickets to spectators, who wanted to see the 2 little people get married. The article also addresses General Mite's previous partner, Lucia Zarate, who had returned to her own country after touring the rest of Europe.

The final article is actually from the New York Times on June 15, 1884 and serves as an example of how widespread the fascination with little people was at the time, and how prominent the obsession was in London specifically. For an article to be in the New York Times to be about the Midgets performing in London just goes to show how big the mania surrounding them had gotten.