Homes & Antiques, printed issue.
15 October, 2022
A remarkably talented miniaturist, Sarah Biffin (1784-1850) came from a working-class family in Somerset and yet rose to fame in the 19th century, undertaking commissions for royalty and the aristocracy. Born with the condition 'phocomelia' - described on her baptism record as 'born without arms and legs' - she grew up in her childhood home where she learnt to write, sew and use scissors.
As a teenager she was contracted to Emmanuel Dukes, a travelling showman, who exhibited her as the 'Eighth Wonder'. People who came to see her left with a sample of her neat handwriting, which was included in the cost of the ticket. In her mid-twenties she was under the tutelage of miniature painter William Marshall Craig, some of whose works are in the Royal Academy's collection, and from 1816 she set herself up as an independent artist, travelling the length and breath of the UK, before settling in Liverpool.
In this exhibition you'll be able to admire around 25 works showcasing Biffin's artistic achievements. Alongside a series of self-portraits (she created many throughout her life), will be commissioned portraits, still-lifes, posters from Dukes' travelling show, samples of her writing, and letters written by Biffin and signed 'written by Sarah Biffin without hands.'
'Biffin's life and achievements came as an increasing surprise to me the more we discovered,' says gallery owner Philip Mould. 'She not only transcended her challenges but held her own in a crowded marketplace - ranking, amongst others, Queen Victoria as her patron. She was prolific in her day, and I'm confident that more of her works will turn up.'
