The Berners Street Hoax

The Berners Street Hoax (1811). Theodore Hook, a writer of popular comic operas, bet his friend Samuel Beazley a guinea that he could transform any house in London into the most talked about address in the city within a week. Hundreds of letters later, Hook won his bet: he had ordered all manner of goods and services to be delivered to the unsuspecting Mrs Tottingham at No 54 Berners Street. Mrs Tottingham, horrified, is seen opening the door: a coffin is being delivered & the tradesmen present include a milliner, a greengrocer etc. Later, various dignitaries arrived lured by false stories. See http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/berners.html John Augustsus Atkinson (1875-1833) was an English painter who, from aged 9 to 26, was in Russia at the court of the Czar. He was known also for battle scenes and gentle caricatures.