Little Tich

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Little Tich
Little Tich in his "Big Boot" routine, about 1890
Background information
Birth name(s):	Harry Relph
Date of birth:	July 21, 1867(1867-07-21)
Birth location:	Blacksmith's Arms, Cudham
Date of death:	February 10, 1928 (aged 60)
Death location:	Hendon
Genre(s):	comedian

Harry Relph, known on the stage as 'Little Tich', (July 21, 1867 - February 10, 1928) was an English music hall comedian. He was noted for his various characters, including The Spanish Senora, The Gendarme, and The Tax Collector, and his most popular routine was his amazing Big Boot dance, which involved a pair of 28-inch boots. He was also popular as a pantomime dame; in one season he appeared with Marie Lloyd and Dan Leno also in the cast.

The surviving film of the Big Boot dance, made by Clément-Maurice for the Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre in 1900, was described by Jacques Tati as 'a foundation for everything that has been realised in comedy on the screen'^[1]

Harry was born at Cudham, now in the London Borough of Bromley, one of fifteen children to the landlord of the Blacksmith's Arms. He made his first stage appearance at the age of twelve at Rosherville Gardens, Gravesend. Anyone small in stature at that time earned the nickname of Tich (referring to the claimant in the Tichborne Case), so Harry, only 4ft 6in (1.37m) in height became Little Tich.

He performed internationally, and at the age of 42 was made an officer of the French Academy, for his performances at the Folies Bergere. His final performance was at the London Alhambra Theatre in 1927, with Jack Hylton’s Band, and he died at Hendon after a long illness in 1928.

He was a polydactyl, having five fingers and a thumb on each hand, and six toes on both feet. Mementoes of his life are still preserved at the public house which was his place of birth.

The second of Igor Stravinsky's Three Pieces for Sting Quartet (1914) was inspired by one of Little Tich's performances.