*Please note- This site search does not include the Vic. & Tas. BMD's, Lots o' Links & Worth a Look Books
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JOHANNA (Annie)MANSFIELD SULLIVAN
TEACHER TO HELEN KELLER
1866-1936
Johanna Mansfield Sullivan was born on April 14th 1866 Feeding Hills Massachusetts USA & was always known as Anne or Annie. Her parents were poor, illiterate Irish immigrants. Her father Thomas Sullivan, was unskilled & an alcoholic & her mother Alice, was frail & suffered from tuberculosis. Anne was the eldest of five children, only two of them reached adulthood. The family was raised in extreme poverty, but Anne as a child had an inquiring mind despite being unschooled. At 7 years of age she developed a bacterial infection of the eyes called trachoma, which was left untreated & affected her sight.
Her mother died in Jan. 1874, when Anne was almost eight years old. Anne's two surviving siblings, Mary & Jimmie, were sent to live with their uncle, Anne remaining with her abusive father. Two years after his wife's death, Thomas Sullivan abandoned his family in 1878, then Anne & Jimmie were sent to the State almshouse in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, where Jimmie having been born with a tubercular hip, died a short time after. Anne spent four years at Tewksbury & while still grieving over her brother's death, had two unsuccessful eye operations. Their sister Mary was sent to live with an aunt, no-one knows why, but Anne never saw Mary again.
Tewksbury Almshouse, was an institution for the poor & needy having an infamous reputation, with rumors of cruelty to inmates, perverted practices, even cannibalism. Tewksbury was home to alcoholics, those labeled 'pauper insane', plus a large number of poor Catholic immigrants from Europe. As a result of the rumors, the Board of State Charities launched an investigation into the facility. In 1880, Frank B. Sanborn,
an official for the State Board of Charities of Massachusetts, came to inspect the school & Anne flung herself at him saying, "Mr. Sanborn, Mr. Sanborn, I want to go to school!". As the investigation was lead by Samuel Gridley Howe, a founder of the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston, Massachusetts, Anne's plea to the state official was successful & she was allowed to enroll in the Perkins School.
Her life changed profoundly at that point & Anne finally began her academic education, where she quickly learned to read & write. She also learned to use the manual alphabet in order to communicate with a friend who was deaf as well as blind. That particular skill opened the door to her life of remarkable achievements. During her time at Perkins, Anne finally had several successful eye operations, improving her sight greatly &
in 1886 she graduated as valedictorian of her class.
In August of that same year, the Director of the Perkins School for the Blind, asked his star pupil Anne, if she was interested in working for a family in Tuscumbia, Alabama. The Keller family had contacted the famous inventor & educator of the deaf, Alexander Graham Bell, for help to teach their wild uncontrollable blind, deaf & mute 7 year old daughter Helen, who had been deaf & blind since the age of 19 months because of a severe illness. Dr. Bell in turn, put them in touch with the Perkins School for the Blind & a short time later, Anne accepted the challenge to tutor Helen. In March of 1887 Anne began her lifelong role as Helen Keller's teacher.
The now 21-year-old Anne Sullivan went to Alabama & from the moment she arrived, she began to sign words into Helen's hand, helping her to understand that everything has a name. The film 'The Miracle Worker', correctly depicted Helen as an unruly, spoiled, but very bright child who tyrannized the household with her temper tantrums. Anne saw the need to discipline & within a week, had gained permission to take Helen from the main house & live alone with her in the nearby cottage where she could teach Helen obedience.
"...I saw clearly that it was useless to try to teach her language or anything else until she learned to obey me. I have thought about it a great deal & I am convinced that obedience is the gateway through which knowledge & love enter the mind of the child". One month later, she succeeded in communicating the meaning of words.
After Helen's breakthrough, she moved ahead with amazing speed & within 3 weeks, had learned more than 100 words. Anne took all she had learned at Perkins & adapted her knowledge to produce a natural & successful way of teaching. By the age of 10, Helen was proficient in reading braille & manual sign language, later learning to speak, but was never satisfied, as she was often hard to understand.
Anne's success was astonishing. Alexander Graham Bell, played a large role in Helen & Anne's life, by promoting public awareness. In 1888, Anne, Helen & her mother traveled to Washington D.C. & met President Cleveland & were joined by Dr. Bell & Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) who gave Anne great credit & called her a "miracle-worker."
In 1892, Anne was elected a member of the American Association to Promote Teaching of Speech to the Deaf & in 1900, accompanied Helen to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Helen was admitted to Radcliffe College. Anne went with Helen to every class spelling into her hand every lecture, demonstration & assignment. When Helen received her bachelor of arts degree, it was a triumph for both women. Anne's eyes suffered greatly, as she would read to Helen by signing, for around 5 hours a day.
During the years at Radcliffe, John Albert Macy became Anne & Helen's friend & helped edit Helen's autobiography. In 1904, Anne & Helen bought a farm & 7 acres in Wrentham, Mass. where they spent some of the happiest days of their lives.
Macy was a young Harvard teacher & literary critic & during the next decade he became Anne's suitor & husband, as well as Helen's manager & editor. Anne married John in the living room of the Wrentham house on May 3, 1905. Anne made the wedding cake & Helen stood beside her with a friend beside Helen, spelling the service into her hand. John also learned manual sign language, because without that skill, he could not have communicated with Helen to correct her texts, a job that Anne had done alone until then. Anne trusted John and felt confident that when she died, John would take good care of Helen. (John was 11 years younger than Anne & nearer to Helen in age, but Anne outlived John by four years.)
After a few years, their marriage began to disintegrate & by 1914 they separated, though they never divorced. Anne spent the following years living in Wrentham & then in Forest Hills with Helen & Polly Thomson, a young Scotswoman who joined the two women as a secretary for Helen. Polly became an essential part of their team, as Helen's secretary & assisting Anne. In 1915, Anne was honored with a "Teacher's Medal" at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco.
As early as 1916 Anne's health began to weaken. She was incorrectly diagnosed as having tuberculosis & ordered to recuperate at Lake Placid, then later, the warmer Puerto Rico, returning to Forest Hills when World War I began. Despite Anne's declining health, after the war, the 3 women traveled spending much of the time accompanying Helen as she delivered anti-war speeches and visited blinded servicemen & other functions. They traveled widely giving lectures & in February 1918 the three were invited to go to Hollywood & make a movie about Helen's life. After the commercial failure of the movie 'Deliverance' they returned to the East Coast, where they began searching for alternative work. The success of their lecture series seven years earlier made them want to look for similar work. In early 1920 they took the opportunity to perform on the vaudeville circuit. The shows were a success & Helen thoroughly enjoyed the excitement, but Anne didn't. By 1922 her eyes were failing & overall health was poor, so they stopped performing.
In 1924, Anne & Helen began to work for the American Foundation for the Blind as advocates, counselors & fundraisers. During 1930-31 Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania wished to recognize Anne and Helen's achievements with honorary degrees. Helen accepted but Anne refused. A year later, reluctantly Anne accepted the honour. In 1936 on October 20, at the age of 70, Anne Sullivan Macy died at home in Forest Hills, N.Y.
Annie Sullivan dedicated almost her entire life, to teaching Helen Keller. A sacrifice that not many people would ever choose to do. What a wonderful life she gave to Helen Keller, a very special person indeed!
Reference
http://www.afb.org/annesullivan/default.asp
Her mother died in Jan. 1874, when Anne was almost eight years old. Anne's two surviving siblings, Mary & Jimmie, were sent to live with their uncle, Anne remaining with her abusive father. Two years after his wife's death, Thomas Sullivan abandoned his family in 1878, then Anne & Jimmie were sent to the State almshouse in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, where Jimmie having been born with a tubercular hip, died a short time after. Anne spent four years at Tewksbury & while still grieving over her brother's death, had two unsuccessful eye operations. Their sister Mary was sent to live with an aunt, no-one knows why, but Anne never saw Mary again.
Tewksbury Almshouse, was an institution for the poor & needy having an infamous reputation, with rumors of cruelty to inmates, perverted practices, even cannibalism. Tewksbury was home to alcoholics, those labeled 'pauper insane', plus a large number of poor Catholic immigrants from Europe. As a result of the rumors, the Board of State Charities launched an investigation into the facility. In 1880, Frank B. Sanborn,
an official for the State Board of Charities of Massachusetts, came to inspect the school & Anne flung herself at him saying, "Mr. Sanborn, Mr. Sanborn, I want to go to school!". As the investigation was lead by Samuel Gridley Howe, a founder of the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston, Massachusetts, Anne's plea to the state official was successful & she was allowed to enroll in the Perkins School.
Her life changed profoundly at that point & Anne finally began her academic education, where she quickly learned to read & write. She also learned to use the manual alphabet in order to communicate with a friend who was deaf as well as blind. That particular skill opened the door to her life of remarkable achievements. During her time at Perkins, Anne finally had several successful eye operations, improving her sight greatly &
in 1886 she graduated as valedictorian of her class.
In August of that same year, the Director of the Perkins School for the Blind, asked his star pupil Anne, if she was interested in working for a family in Tuscumbia, Alabama. The Keller family had contacted the famous inventor & educator of the deaf, Alexander Graham Bell, for help to teach their wild uncontrollable blind, deaf & mute 7 year old daughter Helen, who had been deaf & blind since the age of 19 months because of a severe illness. Dr. Bell in turn, put them in touch with the Perkins School for the Blind & a short time later, Anne accepted the challenge to tutor Helen. In March of 1887 Anne began her lifelong role as Helen Keller's teacher.
The now 21-year-old Anne Sullivan went to Alabama & from the moment she arrived, she began to sign words into Helen's hand, helping her to understand that everything has a name. The film 'The Miracle Worker', correctly depicted Helen as an unruly, spoiled, but very bright child who tyrannized the household with her temper tantrums. Anne saw the need to discipline & within a week, had gained permission to take Helen from the main house & live alone with her in the nearby cottage where she could teach Helen obedience.
"...I saw clearly that it was useless to try to teach her language or anything else until she learned to obey me. I have thought about it a great deal & I am convinced that obedience is the gateway through which knowledge & love enter the mind of the child". One month later, she succeeded in communicating the meaning of words.
After Helen's breakthrough, she moved ahead with amazing speed & within 3 weeks, had learned more than 100 words. Anne took all she had learned at Perkins & adapted her knowledge to produce a natural & successful way of teaching. By the age of 10, Helen was proficient in reading braille & manual sign language, later learning to speak, but was never satisfied, as she was often hard to understand.
Anne's success was astonishing. Alexander Graham Bell, played a large role in Helen & Anne's life, by promoting public awareness. In 1888, Anne, Helen & her mother traveled to Washington D.C. & met President Cleveland & were joined by Dr. Bell & Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) who gave Anne great credit & called her a "miracle-worker."
In 1892, Anne was elected a member of the American Association to Promote Teaching of Speech to the Deaf & in 1900, accompanied Helen to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Helen was admitted to Radcliffe College. Anne went with Helen to every class spelling into her hand every lecture, demonstration & assignment. When Helen received her bachelor of arts degree, it was a triumph for both women. Anne's eyes suffered greatly, as she would read to Helen by signing, for around 5 hours a day.
During the years at Radcliffe, John Albert Macy became Anne & Helen's friend & helped edit Helen's autobiography. In 1904, Anne & Helen bought a farm & 7 acres in Wrentham, Mass. where they spent some of the happiest days of their lives.
Macy was a young Harvard teacher & literary critic & during the next decade he became Anne's suitor & husband, as well as Helen's manager & editor. Anne married John in the living room of the Wrentham house on May 3, 1905. Anne made the wedding cake & Helen stood beside her with a friend beside Helen, spelling the service into her hand. John also learned manual sign language, because without that skill, he could not have communicated with Helen to correct her texts, a job that Anne had done alone until then. Anne trusted John and felt confident that when she died, John would take good care of Helen. (John was 11 years younger than Anne & nearer to Helen in age, but Anne outlived John by four years.)
After a few years, their marriage began to disintegrate & by 1914 they separated, though they never divorced. Anne spent the following years living in Wrentham & then in Forest Hills with Helen & Polly Thomson, a young Scotswoman who joined the two women as a secretary for Helen. Polly became an essential part of their team, as Helen's secretary & assisting Anne. In 1915, Anne was honored with a "Teacher's Medal" at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco.
As early as 1916 Anne's health began to weaken. She was incorrectly diagnosed as having tuberculosis & ordered to recuperate at Lake Placid, then later, the warmer Puerto Rico, returning to Forest Hills when World War I began. Despite Anne's declining health, after the war, the 3 women traveled spending much of the time accompanying Helen as she delivered anti-war speeches and visited blinded servicemen & other functions. They traveled widely giving lectures & in February 1918 the three were invited to go to Hollywood & make a movie about Helen's life. After the commercial failure of the movie 'Deliverance' they returned to the East Coast, where they began searching for alternative work. The success of their lecture series seven years earlier made them want to look for similar work. In early 1920 they took the opportunity to perform on the vaudeville circuit. The shows were a success & Helen thoroughly enjoyed the excitement, but Anne didn't. By 1922 her eyes were failing & overall health was poor, so they stopped performing.
In 1924, Anne & Helen began to work for the American Foundation for the Blind as advocates, counselors & fundraisers. During 1930-31 Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania wished to recognize Anne and Helen's achievements with honorary degrees. Helen accepted but Anne refused. A year later, reluctantly Anne accepted the honour. In 1936 on October 20, at the age of 70, Anne Sullivan Macy died at home in Forest Hills, N.Y.
Annie Sullivan dedicated almost her entire life, to teaching Helen Keller. A sacrifice that not many people would ever choose to do. What a wonderful life she gave to Helen Keller, a very special person indeed!
Reference
http://www.afb.org/annesullivan/default.asp
1. Hardship
2. Annie, Helen & Friends
3. Help for the blind
4. Communication
5. Show Biz Career
6. The Miracle Worker
7. Three Wise Monkeys
2. Annie, Helen & Friends
3. Help for the blind
4. Communication
5. Show Biz Career
6. The Miracle Worker
7. Three Wise Monkeys
Hardship
‘Overcrowding in Nineteenth Century Slums’, Wellcome Library, London
Poverty, Welfare and Insanity amongst Irish Migrants
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/chm/outr |
50 tragic portraits Irish Famine victims in the poorhouses of New York
http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/The-tragi |
Tewskbury Almshouse Intake record of Annie Sullivan
Search- TEWKSBURY ALMSHOUSE INTAKE RECORD: SULLIVAN, JAMES
http://libhost.uml.edu/items/ show/7250
http://libhost.uml.edu/items/ show/7250
Tewksbury Hospital history
http://publichealthmuseum.org/about/our-history/ Tewksbury Almshouse Investigation An article in The Lowell Weekly Sun, April 24, 1883 Cases of ill-treatment of patients, who were left for days without food, and unattended by a physician when sick; patients had holes eaten in their heads by vermin, which crawled about on the beds. |
Almshouse & Poorhouse Records
http://www.olivetreegenealogy. com/almshouse/ Full health of each individual living in the household. 1850, '60, '70, '80, and 1910 Censuses http://www.genealogy.com/heard042601.html Physical and Mental Infirmity, 1851-1911 Censuses http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/travellers/Ce |
Anne Sullivan at Tewksbury
7:04 |
STATE HOSPITALS OF MASSACHUSETTS
http://www.1856.org/documentati Development of public responsibility for persons with disabilities in Massachusetts http://www.1856.org/historicalOv BOSTON GENEALOGY RESOURCES
http://library.uml.edu/clh/GenRes FRANCO AMERICAN ORPHANAGE AND SCHOOL MASSACHUSETTS http://library.uml.edu/clh/Exhibit/ |
Annual Report of the Trustees of the State Almshouse at Tewksbury 1903
https://archive.org/details/annualreportoftr00mass7 |
Locations of Poorhouse Records- England
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r? |
Help For the Blind
Tinted glasses similar to those that Annie wore
Eyeglasses Through the Ages
http://www.antiquespectacles.com/history/ages/thro Disability Timeline
http://www.ncld-youth.info/index.php?id=61# Right- Ad from 1932
Below- Ad from 1909 |
Her work with Helen Keller became the blueprint for education of children who were blind, deaf-blind, or visually impaired that still continues today.
Perkins' School for the Blind
Annie, Helen & Friends
Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten--
a thrill of returning thought;
and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me.
I knew then that “w-a-t-e-r” meant the wonderful cool something
that was flowing over my hand.
That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free!
…Everything had a name, and each name gave birth to a new thought.
As we returned to the house every object which I touched seemed to quiver with life.
Helen Keller
a thrill of returning thought;
and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me.
I knew then that “w-a-t-e-r” meant the wonderful cool something
that was flowing over my hand.
That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free!
…Everything had a name, and each name gave birth to a new thought.
As we returned to the house every object which I touched seemed to quiver with life.
Helen Keller
Written by the deaf-blind Helen Keller as taught
by Annie Sullivan |
Anne Sullivan Macy was a remarkable woman whose life & teaching philosophy remain an inspiration to those who educate children who are visually impaired. In 2003, Anne Sullivan Macy was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame and the American
Foundation for the Blind was privileged to receive a medal in her honour. By nature she was a conciever, a trail-blazer, a pilgrim of life's wholeness. So day by day, month after month, year in and year out, she labored to provide me with a diction and a voice sufficient for my service to the blind. —Helen Keller, writing about Anne Sullivan |
"The most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher
Anne Mansfield Sullivan, came to me." —Helen Keller
Anne Mansfield Sullivan, came to me." —Helen Keller
Anne & Helen bought Wrentham house in 1904 and spent the happiest days of their lives there.
Annie married John Macy in 1905
|
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name
Mark Twain was born on November 30, 1835, in the tiny village of Florida, Missouri, U.S.A. where violence was commonplace & young Sam witnessed much death. Sam kept up his schooling until he was about 12 yrs old, until his father died, he then needed to earn his keep. In 1857, 21-year-old Clemens fulfilled a dream of learning to pilot a steamboat on the Mississippi. Clemens joined the Confederate Army in 1861, but only served a few weeks until his volunteer unit disbanded. In July 1861, Sam headed for Nevada & California, where he lived for the next 5 years, at first, prospecting for gold & silver which wasn't successful. 1862, he went to work as a reporter for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, churning out news stories, editorials & sketches. It was during this period that he adopted the pen name "Mark Twain", which was steamboat slang for 12 feet of water. Twain became one of the best known storytellers in the West. He honed a distinctive narrative style-friendly, funny, irreverent, often satirical & always eager to deflate the pretentious. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was published in 1876 & soon thereafter he began writing a sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Samuel Clemens died on April 21, 1910, at the age of 74 at his country home in Redding, Connecticut. He was buried in Elmira, New York. http://www.biography.com/people/mark |
It was Mark Twain who dubbed Annie Sullivan Macy as
'The Miracle Worker'
'The Miracle Worker'
To Mrs. John Sullivan Macy, with warm regard & with limitless admiration of the wonders she has performed, as a Miracle Worker. Mark Twain
John, Annie & Helen
Twain praised Sullivan effusively for “her brilliancy, penetration, originality, wisdom, character, and the fine literary competencies of her pen.” But he reserved his highest praise for Keller herself. “You are a wonderful creature,” he wrote, “The most wonderful in the world.” Keller’s praise of her friend Twain was no less lofty.
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Another close friend of the pair was Alexander Graham Bell,
he himself, having a hearing impaired mother.
he himself, having a hearing impaired mother.
Annie, Helen & Alexander Graham Bell
Educator, Linguist, Inventor, Scientist (1847–1922)
http://www.biography.com/people/alexander-grah Nova Scotia Archives
http://novascotia.ca/archives/genealogy.asp |
Alexander Graham Bell
was born March 3, 1847, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Having a hearing impaired mother, he developed a way of communicating through vibrations. His education was largely received through numerous experiments in sound and the furthering of his father’s work on Visible Speech for the deaf. He formed a school for the deaf in 1824 & Bell worked with Thomas Watson on the design and patent of the first practical telephone. In all, Bell held 18 patents in his name alone and 12 that he shared with collaborators. He died on August 2, 1922, in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. |
When Annie (Sullivan) Macy's sixty-seventh birthday was celebrated
Miss Keller proposed a toast:
"Here's to my teacher, whose birthday was the Easter morning of my life."
Miss Keller proposed a toast:
"Here's to my teacher, whose birthday was the Easter morning of my life."
Several times during Anne's early career as Helen's teacher, she was accused of being too controlling. Some claimed she tried to mold Helen's thoughts & opinions. Bell's solid support was a constant source of strength to Anne. Dr. Bell had a happy way of making people feel pleased with themselves. He had a
remarkable way of bringing out the best in someone. I learned more from him than anyone else. He imparted knowledge with a beautiful courtesy that made one proud to sit at his feet and learn. Being a
minority of one is hard but stimulating. You must not lay so much stress on what you were not taught by others. What we learn from others is of less value than what we teach ourselves." Anne Sullivan Macy
remarkable way of bringing out the best in someone. I learned more from him than anyone else. He imparted knowledge with a beautiful courtesy that made one proud to sit at his feet and learn. Being a
minority of one is hard but stimulating. You must not lay so much stress on what you were not taught by others. What we learn from others is of less value than what we teach ourselves." Anne Sullivan Macy
Communication
The Manual Alphabet
Letter of the alphabet are formed by different hand signs For a person who is deaf-blind, words are signed into the palm of the hand & they feel the movement of the fingers which are surrounded by the listener's hand. The ability to sign into another's palm was a key part of Anne's later success in communicating with young Helen Keller.
Letter of the alphabet are formed by different hand signs For a person who is deaf-blind, words are signed into the palm of the hand & they feel the movement of the fingers which are surrounded by the listener's hand. The ability to sign into another's palm was a key part of Anne's later success in communicating with young Helen Keller.
DISCOVERING DISABILITIES IN THE CENSUS RECORDS
In a column headed 'Whether Deaf, Dumb or Blind' it was undoubtedly a significant attempt to compile national data about disability within the British population and it is exceptional and fascinating information for historians and genealogists alike.
http://sharnsgenealogyhints.blogspot. com.au/2012/10/family-history- through-alphabet_13.html
In a column headed 'Whether Deaf, Dumb or Blind' it was undoubtedly a significant attempt to compile national data about disability within the British population and it is exceptional and fascinating information for historians and genealogists alike.
http://sharnsgenealogyhints.blogspot. com.au/2012/10/family-history- through-alphabet_13.html
Blind Children Playing Hide & Seek
http://www.forensicgenealogy.info/ contest_118_results.html
http://www.forensicgenealogy.info/ contest_118_results.html
Blindness, which had shadowed the child Anne Sullivan's life and which she had conquered before she met Miss Helen Keller, had returned to darken her last days, and Miss Keller had to become the teacher and
Mrs. Annie (Sullivan) Macy the pupil.
Mrs. Annie (Sullivan) Macy the pupil.
Louis Braille (1809-1852)
Louis Braille was a French educator and inventor of a system of reading and writing for use by the blind or visually impaired. His system remains known worldwide simply as braille. Louis was from a small town called Coupvray, near Paris. He was born on January 4 in 1809 & became blind by accident, when he was 3 years old. He went to Paris in 1819 to attend the National Institute for Blind Children, and from 1826 he taught there. Braille adapted a method created by Charles Barbier to develop his own simplified system. http://braillebug.afb.org/louis_braille_bio.asp |
French Genealogical Records
http://en.geneanet.org/first-step/search-your-french Helen Keller reading Braille
|
The Education of Laura Bridgman. She was Helen Keller before Helen Keller.
Then her mentor abandoned their studies. Laura Dewey Lynn Bridgman (December 21, 1829 New Hampshire, U.S. - May 24 1889 Boston, Mass., is known as the first deaf-blind American child to gain a significant education in the English language, 50 years before Helen Keller. http://www.slate.com/articles/life/history/2014/05 |
Nineteenth-Century Views of Blindness and Deafness
Some dreadful comments, conveying the attitude during the 19th Century "A far harder task was required to raise the deaf and dumb above the animal state to which they appear to be condemned". "The deaf, have no command of language, no ear, and a sad deficiency of ideas and emotions, while their possession of that admirable organ, the eye, tends to overpower their inner feelings and to throw them upon visual sensations for a great part of their enjoyment". "it is, therefore, not surprising that the deaf and dumb adult, under ordinary circumstances, should remain intellectually in the state of childhood, while his blind brother has attained the mental proportions of a man". http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/bronte/cbr Laura Bridgman's Wheeler and Wilson sewing machine with black finish and gold detailing
circa 1870. Search any of the Deaf, Dumb & Blind Schools items listed U.S.A.
http://www.familytreeconnection.com/groups/ |
When it became known that year that Miss Keller, who had been led out of the black silence in which she had existed since childhood by the ingenuity, perseverance and patience of her teacher, was in turn preparing her teacher to "see" with her fingers, THE NEW YORK TIMES, in an editorial, said:
"The 'blind leading the blind' will henceforth have a new meaning wherever the story of Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller
is known"
"The 'blind leading the blind' will henceforth have a new meaning wherever the story of Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller
is known"
Show Biz Career
24 February 1920
In late 1919, Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan Macy were strapped for cash and searching for a job. Their hopes of a hit Hollywood film had just been dashed when the silent film of Keller's life, Deliverance, failed to sustain audience interest after its August premiere. Thus, the two middle-aged women--Anne in her mid-50s and Helen almost 40--sought out a vaudeville contract. The great vaudeville circuit owner B. F. Keith had offered them a lucrative spot on his stage when Helen was just a teenager, but they had turned him down. Somewhat reluctantly, the women now booked a tour on the big-time Orpheum circuit and prepared themselves for appearances in theaters across the United States and into Canada.
http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/577/754
http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/577/754
"My own life," Annie said once, "is so interwoven with my Helen's life
that I can't separate myself from her."
that I can't separate myself from her."
Helen Keller with Charlie Chaplin
Helen Keller with Winston Churchill
Helen Keller with John F. Kennedy
|
Helen & Annie, met many famous people on their travels, including Charlie Chaplin. After Annie's death, Helen went on to meet many more.
Helen Keller with President Eisenhower
Helen Keller with Grace Coolidge
Hellen Keller with Eleanor Roosevelt
|
Hollywood Flop
Wonder Women of History
Wonder Women of History was a long-running back-up series in Wonder Woman's book, beginning in the first issue, circa 1944. Each story gave a four page summary of the life of a notable woman, a role model for young girls to look up to. It Featured woman like- Florence Nightingale, Joan of Arc, even Annie Sullivan.
The story of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan features in the comic- 'Wonder Woman' no.12. çirca 1945. The tale includes an unfortunate panel, neatly illustrating as to why we no longer use the word “dumb” to mean mute
.DC Comics History: Wonder Women of History (Late Golden Age) http://www.comicbookbin.com Left-
A Comic strip depicting Annie as 'Wonder Woman' |
The Miracle Worker
'The Miracle Worker'
Two amazing actresses- Anne Bancroft & Patty Duke, magnificently portrayed Annie Sullivan & Helen Keller, in 'The Miracle Worker' (1962). The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Director for Arthur Penn, and won two awards, Best Actress for Anne Bancroft & Best Supporting Actress for Patty Duke. The late Patty Duke won an Academy Award in 1963 at age 16 for her portrayal of Helen Keller in 'The Miracle Worker'—becoming the youngest Oscar recipient at the time. She had previously performed the role on Broadway with Anne Bancroft, from 1959-1961. |
Table scene from 'The Miracle Worker' (1962)
starring Anne Bancroft & Patty Duke 7:56 |
The Miracle Worker earned three Tony Awards for actress Bancroft, director Arthur Penn and for Best Play. The Miracle Worker, featured a ten-year-old Broadway newcomer named Patty Duke & opened on October 19 1959. It would play 719 performances before closing July 1, 1961.
Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke reprised their roles for Gibson's 1962 screen adaptation directed again by Penn. Patty Duke also starred in a 1979 television version taking on the older role of Annie Sullivan with Melissa Gilbert (Little house on the Prairie) as Helen Keller. |
Helen Keller - 1950's Documentary, Part 1
6:52 |
Helen Keller - 1950's Documentary, Part 2
4:30 |
Helen Keller - 1950's Documentary, Part 3
3:19 |
Water scene from 'The Miracle Worker' (1962)
starring Anne Bancroft & Patty Duke 6:11 |
Three Wise Monkeys
Helen Keller, like the Three Wise Monkeys, could neither hear, speak, nor see any evil. Helen would have been a sweet trusting soul, only reaching out for the good of this world, with such a thirst for knowledge of the wonders that exist around us. Those of us who have the privilege of these three senses, can sometimes abuse them, by what we let into our lives with thoughts & actions. If we could all have the desire for only the good in our lives like Helen & Annie, then the world would be a much nicer place to live in.
"I guess that's why the monkey's are called Wise?"
"I guess that's why the monkey's are called Wise?"
The three monkeys are Mizaru, covering his eyes, who sees no evil; Kikazaru, covering his ears, who hears no evil; and Iwazaru, covering his mouth, who speaks no evil.
THE THREE WISE MONKEYS
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THE THREE WISE MONKEYS Hear no evil, Speak no evil, See no evil Though the teaching had nothing to do with monkeys, the concept of the three monkeys originated from a simple play on words. The saying in Japanese is mizaru, kikazaru, iwazaru "see not, hear not, speak not", where the -zaru is a negative conjugation on the three verbs, matching zaru, the modified form of saru "monkey" used in compounds. The monkeys appear in a wooden carving at the seventeenth century Toshogu shrine in Nikko, Japan. The shrine is the mausoleum of the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, and the three monkeys were the guardians of the stables. |
Upon the death of Annie (Sullivan) Macy,
Miss Keller yesterday paid this tribute: "Teacher is free at least from pain and blindness. I pray for strength to endure the silent dark until she smiles upon me again." October 21, 1936 OBITUARY
Mrs. Macy Is Dead; Aided Miss Keller- BY THE NEW YORK TIMES http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisd |