Dwarfism.- Now to be seen, at the Watch-Maker's, opposite the Cannon Tavern...Mr. John Coan, the Norfolk Dwarf...the most extraordinary Production of Human Nature in Miniature ever yet known..., printed handbill, small hole not affecting text, some light surface soiling, slightly browned, laid down on trimmed album leaf (remains of unrelated watercolour drawing to verso), handbill 175 x 140mm., [c.1752].
⁂ John Coan, known as the Norfolk Dwarf, was born in 1728 in Tivetshall. When surgeon William Arderon examined Coan in 1750, he found him to weigh no more than 34 pounds, and measure 38 inches, including wig, hat, and shoes. For a short time Coan kept a house called 'The Dwarf’s Tavern' in Chelsea Fields. Regarded as an oddity, the tavern attracted large numbers of curious customers and even royalty. The reputation of the house was brief, because Coan died within two years of starting his career as a landlord. His 'manager' decided there was still potential for profit, and continued to exhibit his body. Coan was eventually laid to rest on the 14 April 1764, at St Luke’s, Chelsea. See Wood, Giants and Dwarfs, pp.319-323.
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