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Items Eighth wonder! The nobility and gentry are respectfully informed, that the astonishing curiosity Miss Beffin intends exhibiting her wonderful powers, in a commodious booth, during the present fair

Eighth wonder! The nobility and gentry are respectfully informed, that the astonishing curiosity Miss Beffin intends exhibiting her wonderful powers, in a commodious booth, during the present fair, [handbill]

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Library division & collection with this item:

LIBRARY DIVISION
Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and His Circle

  • Alphabet discs
  • The spot where the body of Shelley was burned
  • Sketchbook containing views recording a tour in Switzerland and France
  • Anne Wagner album
  • Lord Byron, as he appeared after his daily ride at Pisa & Genoa
  • Julia Conyers album
  • Watercolor portrait of Lord Byron
  • The great aerial navigator, or atmospheric machine!
  • Conundrum fan
  • Ettore
  • Lives of the necromancers (with tipped in autograph letter signed to Thomas Northmore, 3 January [1803])
  • Percy Bysshe Shelley, poet
  • Frankenstein: or, The modern Prometheus; to which is added vol. 1 of F. Schiller's The Ghost-Seer
  • Lady Anne Hamilton commonplace book of poetry
  • Songs of innocence
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COLLECTION
Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and His Circle

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Title
Eighth wonder! The nobility and gentry are respectfully informed, that the astonishing curiosity Miss Beffin intends exhibiting her wonderful powers, in a commodious booth, during the present fair, [handbill]
Collection

Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and His Circle: visual materials

Dates / Origin
Date Issued: 1809
Place: Lynn
Publisher: Whittinghom [i.e. Whittingham], printer
Library locations
Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and His Circle
Shelf locator: Pforz VMAT
Shelf locator: Pforz (Biffin, S.) (Eighth wonder!)
Topics
Biffin, Sarah, 1784-1850
Mouth and foot painting artists -- Exhibitions
Artists with disabilities -- Exhibitions
Genres
Handbills
Broadsides
Ephemera
Fliers (Printed matter)
Advertisements
Notes
Content: A notice of a performance by Miss Beffin appears in the Annual Register for 1809, p. 322-323.
Physical Description
Extent: 1 sheet ; 23 x 14 cm.
Pforzheimer copy: With a manuscript note in ink at the foot of the page ("S. Ward saw Miss Beffin write her name on the enclosed papers & tye the Knot of thread with her tongue. 1810"). -- Within white envelope.
Description
Advertising an exhibition of Sarah Beffin (1784-1850), also known as Biffin or Biffen, a woman born without arms and legs who could perform many tasks, such as painting, writing and sewing, by using her mouth.
Type of Resource
Still image
Identifiers
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b19980492
RLIN/OCLC: 720032840
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b18934702
NYPL Exhibition ID: TL 20.01.WOM41b
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): dcd8bcf0-5d19-013f-a14c-0242ac110002
Rights Statement
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.

Item timeline of events

  • 1809: Issued
  • 2026: Digitized
  • 2026: Found by you!
  • 2027

MLA Format

Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and His Circle, The New York Public Library. "Eighth wonder! The nobility and gentry are respectfully informed, that the astonishing curiosity Miss Beffin intends exhibiting her wonderful powers, in a commodious booth, during the present fair" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1809. https://old-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/38f902a0-69a6-013f-f53a-0242ac110002

Chicago/Turabian Format

Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and His Circle, The New York Public Library. "Eighth wonder! The nobility and gentry are respectfully informed, that the astonishing curiosity Miss Beffin intends exhibiting her wonderful powers, in a commodious booth, during the present fair" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed September 21, 2026. https://old-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/38f902a0-69a6-013f-f53a-0242ac110002

APA Format

Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and His Circle, The New York Public Library. (1809). Eighth wonder! The nobility and gentry are respectfully informed, that the astonishing curiosity Miss Beffin intends exhibiting her wonderful powers, in a commodious booth, during the present fair Retrieved from https://old-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/38f902a0-69a6-013f-f53a-0242ac110002

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://old-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/38f902a0-69a6-013f-f53a-0242ac110002 | title= (still image) Eighth wonder! The nobility and gentry are respectfully informed, that the astonishing curiosity Miss Beffin intends exhibiting her wonderful powers, in a commodious booth, during the present fair, (1809) |author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=September 21, 2026 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

Eighth wonder! The nobility and gentry are respectfully informed, that the astonishing curiosity Miss Beffin intends exhibiting her wonderful powers, in a commodious booth, during the present fair