Princess Paulina Musters: The Short and Bright Life of the Smallest Woman in History

Today, the title of the smallest woman on the planet belongs to Jyoti Amji from India, whose height is 63 centimeters. But Jyoti's record is not absolute. History knows a woman who was even smaller. Paulina Musters, who lived in the 19th century, went down in history with a height of only 58 centimeters. And this is twice as tall as a regular Barbie doll, which is 29 centimeters.

Pauline Musters was born on February 26, 1876, in the Dutch village of Ossendrecht. She was the fifth of nine children in the family of Anna Maria Kouwenberg and carpenter Michael Musters. The girl's body length at birth was only 30 centimeters, and doctors did not believe that the child would survive. But the little girl did not die. She grew, albeit very slowly, and intellectually developed even faster than her peers.

Initially, the Musters family lived in poverty. Shortly before Paulina was born, their house burned down after a lightning strike, and they were forced to settle in a barn. To improve their financial situation, the parents began to take Paulina to fairs. People paid a lot of money for the opportunity to see the "little princess". Thanks to these performances, the family was able to build a large house in the future, send their daughters to prestigious boarding schools and pay for the education of their sons.

At the age of 9, Paulina weighed only 1.5 kg, and by the time she reached adulthood, she weighed only 4.5 kg. The girl's growth stopped at about 15 years old at 58 cm. Despite her small stature, Musters was a completely proportional woman. The girl even had admirers who gave her bouquets that were larger than her own size. She was also a fashionista: she always dressed very elegantly, constantly followed the latest fashion trends.

Even when Paulina was a baby, there were many people who wanted to see the "little princess", as her parents called their daughter. Even then, the child began to bring in a good income for the family. Growing up, Musters began performing in the circus. She did not simply show herself off for money, as many special people did at that time. Paulina wanted to earn an honest living and learned complex acrobatic tricks.

The audience also liked the dance number. The artist asked the orchestra to play a waltz and invited someone from the audience to join her. The dance of the baby with a person of normal height looked strange and very touching. During her career, Musters changed about a dozen pseudonyms, but the audience remembers her mainly as Princess Polina and Lady Dot.

The little artist had great success. Princess Polina became a circus star in her homeland in the Netherlands, conquered Belgium, Germany, France and Great Britain. Then Princess Polina went on tour overseas. In the USA and Canada, she was also given standing ovations and showered with flowers.

Little Pauline even had the honor of performing for the German Kaiser Wilhelm II and Queen Emma of the Netherlands. The German Emperor was so taken with Pauline that he gave her a tiny carriage, which was probably pulled by dogs rather than horses. Made at the Jacobi factory in Hanover, it was only 90 cm high. The carriage is now, unfortunately, lost.

In 1894, Princess Pauline was invited to the United States. She debuted at New York City's Proctor's Theatre, and her performance took place on New Year's Eve. The audience was enchanted and even stunned by the talent of the little princess.

During her numbers, Paulina was sincere, and everyone felt it. She danced with abandon, sang in a thin elf voice, and sometimes cried with delight when she saw the joy of the audience. Unfortunately, the owners of the circus with which the little one performed took advantage of her enthusiasm and exploited the actress mercilessly. Doctors warned Paulina against traveling to America, fearing that she was too fragile.

Perhaps this is why Princess Pauline's tour of the United States turned out to be the last in her life. After several concerts in New York, the little one, exhausted and weakened by travel, fell ill with pneumonia. A few days later, the illness became complicated by meningitis and, despite the efforts of the best doctors on the Atlantic coast, Pauline Musters died on March 1, 1895. She was only 18 years old. Her body weight at the time of her death was only 3.86 kilograms.

Paulina Musters' short but eventful life left a mark on people's hearts. How do you think Paulina's life could have turned out if she had lived longer? Would she have been able to find happiness, love and family? Share your thoughts in the comments!