Portraits of Curious Characters in London, &c. &c.: With Descriptive and Entertaining Ancedotes.Anonymous
General
Portraits of Curious Characters in London, &c. &c.: With Descriptive and Entertaining Ancedotes.
Anonymous
London (England) -- Biography
Such as have seen this man in London (and there are very few that have
not) will be instantly struck with the accuracy of the engraving.
He has literally _rocked_ himself about London for upwards of nineteen
years, with the help of a wooden seat, assisted by a short pair of
crutches; and the facility with which he moves is the more singular,
when we consider he is very corpulent; he appears to possess
remarkably good health, and is about fifty-six years of age. In his
life we have no great deal to notice, as wonderful or remarkable. His
figure alone is what renders him a striking character; not striking
for the height or bulk of his person, but for the mutilated
singularity and diminutive size so conspicuously attracting when upon
his move in the busiest parts of London streets; in places that
require considerable care, even for persons well mounted upon legs,
and possessing a good knowledge in the art of walking, to get along
without accidents; but even here poor Samuel works his way, whilst
buried, as it were, with the press of the crowd, in a manner very
expeditious, and tolerably free from accidents, except being tumbled
over now and then by people walking too much in haste.
MISS THEODORA DE VERDION,
commonly known by the name of
CHEVALIER JOHN THEODORA DE VERDION,
_Who lived in London disguised as a man, a teacher of languages and a
walking bookseller._
This singular woman was born in the year 1744, at Leipsic, in Germany,
and died at her lodgings in Upper Charles-street, Hatton-Garden,
London, July 15, 1802. She was the only daughter of an architect, of
the name of Grahn, who erected several edifices in the city of Berlin,
particularly the church of St. Peter. She wrote an excellent hand, and
had learned the mathematics, the French, Italian, and English
languages, and possessed a complete knowledge of her native tongue.
Upon her arrival in England, she commenced teacher of the German
language, under the name of Dr. John de Verdion. In her exterior, she
was extremely grotesque, wearing a bag wig, a large cocked hat, three
or four folio books under one arm, and an umbrella under the other,
her pockets completely filled with small volumes, and a stick in her
right hand.
[Illustration]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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