Anne Waldman Papers MS.2007.06

Finding aid prepared by Jim Kay
Little People of America Archive
5001 Bailey Loop – Space D
McClellan, CA, 95652
(916) 359-4637
jg43ay@surewest.net
March 3, 2013


Title: Anne Waldman Papers
Identifier/Call Number: MS.2007.06
Contributing Institution: Little People of America Archive
Language of Material: English
Container: MS 2007.06
Physical Description: 1.0 folder
Date (bulk): Bulk, 1925-1960
Date (inclusive): 1920-2006
Abstract: Newsclips and photos of midget entertainers and actors who were employed in the period 1925 thru late 1950's.

Biographical Note

Anne Waldman, the donor of these items, was the daughter of Gladys and Victor Bump. Anne was born in 1937 and her younger brother was born in 1940. The items in the collection dating from 1925 through the 1950's were collected by Gladys Bump, while she worked as an entertainer up until 1937, and later in life from correspondence and news items that were printed in newspapers. Anne Waldman collected the items that date from the 1970's thru 2007. She was particularly interested in the Wizard of Oz and the Munchkins who began appearing at the Judy Garland Festivals that started up in the 1980's.
Gladys Farkas was born in Ohio and during her school years participated in plays, choruses and sang individually. After she left high school, in 1924, and became employed as a clerk in a local business she attended a musical revue performed by the Rose's Midgets. Royses's Midgets were one of several midget musical toupes that toured the U.S. and appeared as special acts in local auditoriums, or movie theatres. She approached the leader of the group, Ike Rose, and inquired about employment with the troupe. Mr. Rose auditioned her and offered her a job. She accepted and in 1925 became a member of Rose's Royal Midgets.
Gladys performed in the musical revues as a dancer, and she also sang solo during the show. She accompanied the troupe on travels across the U.S. and also made trips to Europe. Ike Rose died in 1935 and his wife Carla took over managment of the troupe. She was assisted by Jean Palfi who was responsible for the music and the choreography of the show.
Rose's Midgets appeared at the Midget Village, which was a part of the 1933/34 Chicago World's Fair. While there she met Victory Bump, a recent graduate from the Cleveland public school system. Victor was very interested in Gladys but she was a bit cool to his advances. On several occasions she would disdain to be with Victor declaring that she was much too old to return his ardor. At the Chicago Fair Gladys was the singer in a night club act and Victor played a horn in the marching band and was an ice cream vendor. After the Chicago Fair closed Gladys and Victor toured together and appeared at the Great Lakes Expositon and the Texas Exposition. Gladys, during this time had an audition with Paul Whiteman who was developing new material and acts for his Orchestra. Victor continued to pursue Gladys and in 1936 he proposed and she accepted. The continued to work with Rose's but Gladys had to quit in mid 1937 and gave birth to Anne in the fall of 1937.
In 1938 Victor left Rose's and went to watchmaking school. After completing the course he found employment at a jewelry shop where he worked for several years. In the late 1940's Victor opened his own Jewelry shop which he operated until the late 1990's.
Gladys passed away in and Victor died in .

Access

There are no limitations on access to the collection.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Conditions Governing Access

Advance notice required for access.

Scope and Content

The collection consists of photographs, news clippings,and brochures which describe and illustrate midget performers who worked as dancers, singers, and entertainers during the 1920's thru the 1950's and some of the venues where they worked. In addition there are photos and news clips of dwarf performers from 1980's and 90's.
Performers from the 1920's and 1930's include: Gladys and Victor Bump, Grace Gould, Harvey Williams, Joseph Kotalik, Myrtle Pilkerton, Ray and Elsie Schultz, Frank and Sadie Delfino, Mlle. Coretta, Princess Wee Wee, Susan Bokonyi,Vance Swift, Gussie and Alice Pick, Pussy de Carmo, James Doyle, Ike and Mike Matina, Art Noble, George Liable, robert Baum, Peppi, Jean Palfi, Sonja and Tony Vendola, Kurt Friedel, Werner Zwiebler, Frieda Zweibler, and Joseph Grabowski
Bands and performing groups include Charley Ahearn and His Millionaires, Singer Midgets, and Rose's Midgets. In 1937 Rose's Midgets published a brochure which described the life of a midget and shared Carla Rose's comments about the individuals who worked with the troupe and how the performers dealt with the public when they were not entertaining. Brief biographical profiles are provided for a few of the stars of the show.
Panoramic photos of the the performers who worked in "Midget Town" at the 1933/1934 Chicago World's Fair, and in the "Midget Farm" at the 1935 San Diego Exposition include a list of names for all the performers in the photographs. Morris Gest's Little People who,worked in Midget Town at the New York World's Fair of 1939, are shown.
News clips cover a number of topics including: Dwarfism, Human Oddities, E. J. Kelty - Noted photographer of the Circus, art work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Charles Stratton and Levinia Warren Bump, Midget Weddings, and the Wizard of Oz Munchkins, six of whom frequented fairs and Wizard of Oz Festivals that were held from the late 1980's through the early part of the 21st Century.

 

Gladys and Victor Bump Series 1

Carton 1, Folder 1

1925 - 1975

Carton 1, folders 2-11

Performers and Venues Series 2 1923 - 1946

Carton 1, Folder 12

Book - Memoirs of a Midget Series 3 1941

Carton 1, folders 13-21

Newsclips & Photos Series 4 1945 - 2007

Abstract: Newsclips and photos of venues, midget entertainers and actors during the period 1925 thru the late 1950's.