John James Chalon R.A. 1778-1854. Anglo-Swiss School 19th.Century. Pencil Portrait Study of Caroline Crachami 1815-1824. The "Sicilian Fairy" Graphite on wove paper laid on to backing sheet contemporary inscription "Miss Chrachami the Sicilian Dwarf. Large as Life" 19 by 24.5 cms. A preparatory study for Chalon's 1826 Oil Portrait of Crachami in the collection of The Royal College of Surgeons. (RCSSC/P252).
Caroline Crachami was the first person recognised to have had primordial dwarfism, specifically Seckel syndrome. Sometimes cited as the smallest person in recorded history, her tale is a very sad one. Crachami was said to have been born in Palermo, Italy, and was known as the "Sicilian Fairy" or "Sicilian Dwarf." Exhibited as living curiosity by a Dr Gilligan in London in early 1824. A sensation she attracted a multitude of visitors and was presented at Court. She died probably of tuberculosis in June 1824 aged about 9 years. Against her father's wishes her body was sold and acquired by the anatomist John Hunter who dissected her with indecent haste. Her preserved skeleton and personal effects were until recently on display in the Hunterian Museum. She was only about 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.