Name Caroline Crachami | ||
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Died June 1824, West End of London | ||
Caroline Crachami ( b. 1815— June 1824) is sometimes cited as being the smallest person in recorded history, but as she was nine years old or less at the time of her death, it is unlikely that she had finished growing. Said to have been born in Palermo, Italy, she was known as the "Sicilian Fairy" or "Sicilian Dwarf." She was the first person recognised to have primordial dwarfism, and was only about 19 1⁄2 inches (50 cm) tall at the time of her death; it was claimed that at birth she had weighed only one pound (454 grams) and measured about 8 inches (20 cm) tall.
Exhibition and death
Caroline Crachami first came to public notice in April 1824, when she was exhibited in London by a Dr Gilligan. She was a great success, attracting many distinguished visitors, and was presented at Court. Observers noted that she appeared of normal intelligence for a child of her supposed years, had a good command of spoken English, and suffered from a bad cough.
She died in June 1824, apparently of a respiratory ailment, probably tuberculosis.