Bullseye with Jesse Thorn is a production of MaximumFun.org and is distributed by NPR.

It's Bullseye, I'm Jesse Thorn.

For nearly 50 years, the Slight of Hand artist Ricky J. has been obsessed with an 18th century

German man.

A Tias Bukinger was an artist, a magician, and a calligrapher.

He was also 29 inches tall and born without hands or feet.

Most people of that size would have been exhibited for their size.

And there's only one piece in all the memorabilia I've uncovered about Bukinger where he's

actually billed as a little person.

Everything else is talking about his skills.

It's Bullseye.

Coming up I'll talk to Ricky J. He'll tell me about some of Bukinger's skills, which

include super, super tiny calligraphy.

The incredible detail in his art might be easily missed if you're not looking closely

enough.

We look at his wig and we see what we think are curls and we now look closer and closer.

We're able to determine seven complete songs written in English and in the tale of the

Baroque, the Lord's Prayer.

Then later I'll talk to the menswear expert Bruce Boyer about whether it's really important

for a man to develop a sense of personal style or if it's okay to just walk around

in short snow t-shirts.

A lot of people don't take clothing seriously at all.

...