Sarah Biffen

Sarah Biffen (c. 1784 – 2 October 1850), also known as Sarah Biffin, Sarah Beffin,[1] or by her married name Mrs E. M. Wright,[2] was an English painter born with no arms and only vestigial legs. She was born in 1784 in Somerset. Despite her disability she learned to read and write, and to paint using her mouth. She was apprenticed to a man named Dukes, who exhibited her as an attraction throughout England. In the St. Bartholomew's Fair of 1808, she came to the attention of George Douglas, the Earl of Morton, who went on to sponsor her to receive lessons from a Royal Academy of Arts painter, William Craig. The Society of Arts awarded her a medal in 1821 for a historical miniature and the Royal Academy accepted her paintings. The Royal Family commissioned her to paint miniature portraits of them. When the Earl of Morton died in 1827, Biffen was left without a noble sponsor and she ran into financial trouble. Queen Victoria awarded her a Civil List pension and she retired to a private life in Liverpool. She died on 2 October 1850 at the age of 66.

Sarah Biffen
Sarah Biffen's self-portrait, 1830
Born1784
East Quantoxhead, Somerset, England
Died2 October 1850 (aged 66)
Liverpool, England
Resting placeSt James Cemetery, Liverpool
Other namesSarah Biffin; Sarah Beffin; Mrs E. M. Wright
Known forPainting
StyleMouth and foot painting
SpouseWilliam Stephen Wright (m.1824)
Patron(s)George Douglas, the Earl of Morton

Early life

Sarah Biffen was born in 1784 to a family of farmers in East Quantoxhead, Somerset, with no arms and undeveloped legs – a result of the congenital condition phocomelia.[3] Despite her disability she learned to read, and later was able to write using her mouth.[4]

When she was around the age of 13, her family apprenticed her to a man named Emmanuel Dukes, who exhibited her in fairs and sideshows throughout England.[5] At some point during the time, she learnt to paint holding the paint-brush in her mouth.[6] During this period, she held exhibitions, sold her paintings and autographs, and took admission fees to let others see her sew, paint and draw.[7] She drew landscapes or painted portrait miniatures on ivory with contemporaries praising her skill. Her miniatures were sold for three guineas each, however, Biffen may have received as little as £5 a year while she was with Dukes.[1]

Sponsorship and patronage
A portrait by Sarah Biffen
A portrait by Sarah Biffen

In the St. Bartholomew's Fair of 1808, George Douglas, the Earl of Morton wanted to see if Biffen could really paint unaided. Once he was convinced, he sponsored her to receive lessons from a Royal Academy of Arts painter, William Craig.[5] The Society of Arts awarded her a medal in 1821 for a historical miniature and the Royal Academy accepted her paintings. The Royal Family commissioned her to paint miniature portraits of them, as a result of which she became very popular. She set up a studio in Bond Street, London. Charles Dickens mentioned her in Nicholas Nickleby, Martin Chuzzlewit, and Little Dorrit, and in "A Plated Article", when describing pottery figures spoiled in the firing process.

The Earl of Morton died in 1827. Without the support of a noble sponsor, Biffen ran into financial trouble when her manager used most of her money.[8] Queen Victoria awarded her a Civil List pension and she retired to a private life in Liverpool.[5] On 6 September 1824, she married William Stephen Wright[9] and later tried to renew her success with the name Mrs. Wright. The attempt was not successful but her supporters, including Richard Rathbone, arranged a public subscription to finance her for her final years.[1]

Death

Sarah Biffen died on 2 October 1850 at the age of 66.[1] She is buried in St James Cemetery in Liverpool.[10]

Legacy

A self-portrait engraved by RW Sievier and published in London in June 1821 was sold at Sotheby’s in 1986 and again at Sotheby’s on 5 December 2019.[4] The sale was of the collection of the late Dr Erika Pohl-Ströher. The auction estimate was £800–1200 but the final sale price was £137,500.[11]

The first exhibition of Biffin’s work for 100 years Without Hands: the Art of Sarah Biffin, was held at the galleries of Philip Mould & Company, London in 2022.[12]

See also

References
  1. Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1886). "Biffin, Sarah". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 5. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 19.
  2. "Sarah Biffin, Mrs E.M. Wright, 1784–1850. Artist (Self-portrait)". www.nationalgalleries.org. The National Galleries of Scotland. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  3. Alberge, Dalya (22 May 2022). "'The lady without legs or arms': how an artist shattered Victorian ideas about disability". The Observer.
  4. "Who was Sarah Biffin?". Philip Mould & Company. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  5. "Sarah Biffen (1784–1850)". Journey into art. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  6. Chester, Laura (16 December 2019). "Biffin's powerful story recognised with £110,000 self-portrait". Antique Trades Gazette. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  7. Creathorne, Ellen (1876). English Female Artists. Vol. 1. Tinsley Brothers. pp. 395–7.
  8. "Sarah Biffen — the limbless artisan". Human marvels. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  9. "Sarah Biffin: the celebrated nineteenth-century artist born without arms or legs | Art UK". artuk.org. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  10. Jaleel, Gemma (23 January 2017). "Where to visit the graves of Liverpool's most famous people". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  11. "Sarah Biffin, Later Mrs Wright Self-Portrait Before Her Easel, Circa 1821". Sotheby's. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  12. "First show in 100 years of disabled Victorian artist Sarah Biffin opens in London". the Guardian. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
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