This is really cool. What a great find!

awesome!

I thought "water" was her first word. Guess I'm misremembering.

Well, duh. If I would just READ the freakin' article, I wouldn't say dumb things like that.

That's funny Janet. I've often posted similarly.

That's a super cool photo. What a fantastic story, and one that I've only ever been sort of aware of. Got a few more details there, and can appreciate how amazing a story it is anew.

Thanks BoringPostcards! Who may have to change his username if he keeps posting such cool things!

That's fascinating, and actually a really good photograph as well.

I still find in unfathomable how someone can be born blind and deaf, and still learn to communicate and see the world as Helen Keller obviously did so well. To me it's as if the magician has shown me the secret of how a trick works, and yet I still can't believe it.

Was sadly unaware of this. What a touching story--they looked beautiful together.

Oh, wow! Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan have been heroes of mine since I was a little girl... that photo of them is so beautiful. Thanks for sharing -- I wouldn't have seen this news otherwise!

What scody said. I've read lots 'n' lots about Keller and Sullivan and it's great to see a new photo of them. At both of their entries in Wikipedia (linked below) you can see a larger version of the new photo.

eekacat - Helen had what's assumed to be scarlet fever when she was about 18 months old. Before that she could hear, see and talk as well as any 18 month old can. From what I've read it's because she had the abilities at one point that she could learn to communicate at all. She also learned to speak again but only those closest to her could really understand it.

That is a lovely photograph. Thank you for sharing.

I have two stories based on the ubiquitous play by William Gibson.

Of course we did it in high school, and of course I was Annie Sullivan. When the yearbook came out, actor Hellen was talking about it being "her show" and my incipient diva said: "It's called The Miracle WorkER, not the Miracle WorkEE." (Snap!)

Later on, a friend of mine did a national tour of the play and played Annie Sullivan. She and a cohort broke into the abandoned former home/asylum whatever it was where Annie was raised and liberated a bunch of strange souvenirs. I have a Visitor's Pass for the Tewksburry Institute or whatever it was from the. . . 1940's or 50's. In Massachusetts somewhere. Tewksburry, I'd suppose. Do not fact check, too lazy to do my own, so I'm sure I have dates and spellings wrong, but the point was the breaking and entering as method acting. I appreciated that.

That's a lovely photo. Thanks for the post!

There was a guy in some of my undergrad classes who was deaf, blind and mute. The uni provided a finger-spelling aide for classes and other work and he did really well. Inspirational.