I've read about the WH party President and Mrs. Lincoln hosted for Tom and Lavinia Thumb many times. It's such a sad, sweet, funny, bizarre story. I can't even imagine what it must have looked like when the giant A.L. bent to shake their little hands.
And Barnum charged SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS APIECE for 5,000 people to attend their NYC reception??That was a FORTUNE in the 1860's!!
And how awful that one of Queen Victoria's poodles attacked them when they went to visit her!!