Biographical/historical notes:
Joel W. Smith (1837-1924), a Perkins piano tuning teacher who was blind, created an alternative to embossed alphabets, called Modified or American braille, in 1878. At the time, it was a more efficient system that was faster to read and write than other forms of embossed type. It was popular in the United States and competed with the original braille system for many years.
Related collections
- Joel West Smith digital collection on Flickr
- American Braille and Numerals digital collection on Flickr
About this inventory:
The Perkins Archives is committed to making more of our collections available sooner. To do so, we are making inventories of unprocessed collections available. These inventories may not be complete and may be updated periodically. The date of the latest edit will be noted. For questions about these collections, email [email protected].
Latest update to inventory:
March 19, 2024.
Call number:
AG17
Inventory:
Box 1
Cup and saucer lustreware used by Joel West Smith, circa 1837-1924.
Box 2
Braille writing slate, made at Perkins Institution originally belonged to Mr. Joel Smith, circa 1837-1924.
Box 3
B3:F1: Digital print outs of original housing photographs, 2017
B3:F2: Notes, manuscripts, and correspondence, circa 1932, undated
[Joel West Smith – an Appreciation by Edward E. Allen; ,notes, correspondence, and biography of Smith possibly written by Allen for the Dictionary of American Biography circa 1932; 16 page typewritten manuscript, “Recollections of Perkins” by [Smith], incomplete 29 page manuscript written about Smith]
B3:F3: “Joel West Smith” manuscript, 14 pages, with correspondence and biographical notes from George T. [Slauter], 1932, undated
B3:F4: “From Joel West Smith, East Hampton, Connecticut. Christmas week, 1917 (Mr. Smith was eighty years old the 17th of September, 1917.),” 7 pages.
B3:F5: Charles H. Prescott remembrances of Mr. Smith, undated
B3:F6: Notes regarding “page 2” by unknown author, undated
B3:F7: Notes, correspondence, and manuscripts regarding Smith, undated, 1912-1925
B3:F8: Notes, correspondence, and manuscripts regarding Smith, undated, 1912-1925
B3:F9: Handwritten notes, undated
B3:F10: Newspaper clippings, May, September, 1924
Explore more resources from the Archives
Learn more about our collections, including digitized materials, and resources related to the history of Perkins School for the Blind and the history of education for people with blindness or deafblindness.