Keller, Helen (1880-1968)
Signed Photograph.

Gelatin silver print of Keller seated with her Great Dane Sieglinde, of whom she wrote "Of all the dogs we ever owned, she was the most beautiful and intelligent," and a Scottish Terrier; signed and inscribed to the Vice President of the American Kennel Club and columnist P. Hamilton Goodsell: "In appreciation of the tender way you write of my brother that barks," in response to his article "My Brother that Barks," published in The New Haven Register's October 27, 1935 issue; photo: 9 1/4 x 7 1/4 in; matting: 20 x 17 1/4 in.

[Together with] Two black-and-white postcard photographs: one of Keller alongside Mabel Johns and the other of her home in Tuscumbia, Alabama; each 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. [and] an 8 x 10 black-and-white press photo of Keller visiting PFC Walter F. Branlund at the Valley Forge General Hospital's Center for the Blind in Phoenixville, PA, stamped and dated February 17, 1944 on the verso; 8 x 10 in.

Pasted to the frame's backing is the article in which Goodsell praises Keller's fond description of her dog in The World I Live In. Goodsell wraps the article by writing, "[Keller's] choice of words, in my opinion, coming from a woman who has mastered fate, and she has, and who has so ably proved that 'I am the captain of my soul.' is as much a tribute to the human race as to the canine. Remember, in her blindness, she has never seen a dog; she has never heard a dog speak, but nevertheless the Dog has made her able to call him 'my brother that barks.' Think this over. Where would you be; or how well would you succeed if a person couldn't see you, or if you could not speak to him in words, in making him feel justified in calling you 'brother'?"

Named "a true dog lover" by the American Kennel Club, Keller had close relationships with canine companions throughout her life. According to her 1933 essay, "Three Days to See" one of the first things Keller wished to do if she suddenly regained her eyesight would be, "to look into the loyal, trusting eyes of my dogs, whose warm, tender, and playful friendships are so comforting to me." Keller also owned the first Japanese Akita puppy in the United States. She received two puppies as a gift from the Akita Prefecture in Japan.

Condition
For inquiries about condition, please contact:
Devon Eastland, Senior Specialist: deastland@swanngalleries.com
Grace Meschery-McCormack, Cataloguer: gmccormack@swanngalleries.com