This week in history: 27 September - 3 October
2 October 1850
The British artist
Sarah Biffen died on this date in Liverpool around the age of 66.
Biffen was little more than three feet tall, born without arms or hands and having only vestigial legs. She learned to write and paint using her mouth, and from childhood she was exhibited at sideshows and fairs throughout England. When she was roughly 24, she was seen at one such fair by the Earl of Morton, who was so impressed that he arranged for her to have formal training.
She became somewhat of a celebrity artist in Britain during the first half of the 19th century, and she even painted miniature portraits of members of the royal family.
