Author(s): Emma Rutherford (Editor); Ellie Smith (Editor); Essaka Joshua (Contribution by); Alison Lapper (Contribution by); Elle Shushan (Contribution by)

Art

A celebration of an artist whose under-sung legacy testifies to the enduring power of originality, drive, and devotion.

Accompanying an exhibition at Philip Mould & Company, Without Hands presents the art of Sarah Biffin. Biffin (1784-1850) was born with phocomelia, a condition described on her baptism record as "born without arms and legs." After learning to sew and write as a child, Biffin joined a traveling sideshow where she painted in front of an audience. Eventually, she rose to fame as a talented miniaturist, signing many of her works "without hands."

Despite her prolific output, including commissions from royalty and exquisitely detailed self-portraits, Biffin's work has been overlooked by art historians. Beautifully illustrated and including original research, Without Hands celebrates Biffin as an artist who challenged contemporary attitudes to disability.