Rose's Royal Midgets and Other Little People of Vaudeville

The name Rose's Royal Midgets held an important place at theatres, circuses and fairgrounds across three continents a century ago, even if each component of the troupe's name crumbles into dust by light of day ("Rose" was a pseudonym", the company held no Royal patent, and the word "midget" has passed out of use in polite society). This large touring production of Little People was the creation of one of show biz history's great impresarios, Ike Rose, now forgotten but once in a league with names like Barnum and Ziegfeld as men who delivered full value for the price of a ticket. Peruse these pages for a glimpse into a vanished world, one as cynical as it was magical, but one that was also always fascinating.