Perkins Archives Blog

"Annie" Sullivan's 1881 Medical Diagnosis at Perkins, age 15
handwritten entry on white paper, transcription in post
August 23, 2013
Transcription of an entry showing Anne Sullivan's diagnosis when she was 15 years old.

Letter composed on an early typewriter, from inventor Charles Thurber, 1844
Bound correspondence volume with page 1 of Thurbers' letter. Letter typed in all capital letters in black ink with lots of space between lines.
August 13, 2013
Transcript of typed letter to Perkins from Charles Thurber.

First embossed book for the blind
Title page with dedication to the king of France.
August 7, 2013
Printed in 1786, Essai Sur L'Education des Aveugles, by Valentin Haüy is the first embossed book printed for use by the blind. Perkins has two copies.

Dennis A. Reardon (c.1847-1916)
A man with curly hair and beard
August 2, 2013
Dennis Alvin Reardon was sent to the Perkins Institution in 1855 when he was 8 years old, an orphan, and homeless.

Grant Awarded by National Endowment for the Humanities
Portrait of Laura Bridgman seated reading a large volume of embossed type. She is wearing a glasses-shaped sash tied around her head and covering her eyes.
Grant Awarded by National Endowment for the Humanities

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