The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1897-04-17
5ARMLESs ARTISTS.
Painters Without Hands Who Have
Done Excellent Work With Their

: = ) rs & 2
Painters Without Hands Who Have
Done Excellent Work with Their
Feet 81 51E b {3f
a reporter was strolling along a
prominent thoroughfare on Walnut
Hills the other day when he came upon
a business room that was being re-
modelled and improved preparatory to
occupancy. The carpenter who was do
ling the work was a one-armed man,
and not only managed his hatchet and
saw skillfully, but was quite intelligent
in conversation, He did not appear to
bemoan the fate that had deprived him
of good strong arm, but regarded it
with the air Of a philosopher. He said
that: he was not the only one-armed
carpenter in Cincinnati-that he knew
of four or five others. =, .g
Another One-armed man familiar to
residents Of the Hill whose misfortune
would seem to. interfere with his voca-
ton, but does not, is the driver of one
Of the big oil tank wagons. He does
everything required of man with two
arms in such a position, from driving
the team to measuring out the oil and
delivering it to his customers. ~:
Judging from the following instances
published in an English journal, it
would seem that the absence of one, or
even both arms, need not interfere
with one earning ones bread and but
ter s,s5..., 81 ssso,x%
Gone of the leading Belgian artists
Of the present day is a gentleman who,
in default of arms, paints with his foot.
His name is Fehu. He lives at Ant
werp, where he has spacious atelier
in the market place.. = ~ ..2:.,
'Fte uses his supple feet without any
apparent effort to open his color box,
clean his brushes, set his palate and
arrange his writing materials. He
paints with surprising swiftness and
dellcacy of touch, 1t may be said of
him, too, that he writes an excellent
foot. One Of his friends says his writ
ing is as bold, free and flowing as any
handwriting with which he is acquaint-
ed. He is, moreover, a man of gentle
nature, courtly in manners, of highly
cultivated intelligence and no less en-
gaging in speech than in appearance.
Earlier in the present century there
fourished another armless artist, a
lady named HaWlin, who, besides
painting very toIerable pictures, learn
ed to- do with her toes a variety Of in
teresting and ingenious things cut
watch papers and the like. She grasp
ed and worked her scissors in some
way that has never been explained
'Miss Biffin was only trife less un-
fortunate. She was born without toes
or hands and without any more arm
than was represented by stump cut
short above the elbow. Yet she man.
aged to make for herself a comfortable
living in the artistic way
"She painted miniatures with exquis-
ite neatness and accuracy, and added
to this by cutting out paper profles
with the aid of her mouth, a pair of
scissors and her two little stumps. The
earl of Morton employed her to paint
some portraits for him, and introduced
her to the notice of royalty, who also
patronized her and put her in the way
Of obtaining advanced lessons in paint
ing from one Of the foremost men Of
the day. He also gave her small pen
sion, with the aid Of which she set up
as a regular professional. She fell in
love and married, but carried on her
work, and was always known under
her maiden name. Cincinnati Enquirer