June 2023 – Read, Seen, Heard

Sadie Belton

When I stumbled upon this haunting image, I had to learn more.

Born in Millport, N.Y., Sarah “Sadie” Belton (1842-1915) topped out at 33 inches tall. In 1861, she began touring with freak shows as “The Little Fairy,” but better things were to come. Around 1877, she joined Harry Deakin’s Lilliputian Comic Opera Company, which put on actual plays like Cinderella, Jack the Giant-Killer and Gulliver’s Travels. Performing in theaters instead of side shows, Sadie began making real money and collecting rave reviews:

“When we say that Miss Sadie Belton as Cinderella eclipsed all her previous efforts, we are only speaking the truth. Picturing her from the sooty girl at the hearth to the wife of a prince in satin robes, she swelled the dialogue with a sweet, soprano voice, and won fresh laurels from a Gowanda audience.” – The Gowanda Enterprise

“The singing of Miss Sadie Belton is especially good, and her dramatic ability would do credit to any star actress.” – The Columbus Daily Evening Republic

“Colonel Speck and Sadie Belton possess talent of a high order, and the operetta is really a finished and complete performance.” — The San Francisco Chronicle

“Little Miss Belton has a beautiful face and figure and can dance like a fairy. She sings, too, with a remarkable sweetness, and is the especial favorite.” – Cincinnati Gazette

“Miss Sadie Belton, petite and pretty, made an excellent Cinderella. Her voice is particularly sweet, and its volume is remarkable for one of the lady’s proportions.” – The Glen Falls Times

When Sadie Belton died in 1915, the Elmira Morning Telegram wrote:

“Miss Belton was known all over the United States and was in her time as famous as Tom Thumb and Dolly Denton… In her travels this little woman made many friends.”