Accession Number: 1999.97
Description: The portrait sculpture is cast in bronze and is set into an oak frame. It presents a head-and-shoulders profile of Helen Keller as a young woman. The artist inscribed her name and the date of the sculpture at the top left corner--"Winifred Holt, Fecit September 1907." Below this is a relief drawing of an elephant, approximately 1 inch square, followed by a dedication inscribed "To Samuel H. Bishop. May 1908." Below the portrait, Holt included a quote from Helen Keller. The inscription reads "To Be Blind Is To See The Bright Side Of Life. Helen Keller." The quote was a remark Keller made to the artist. Beneath it appears "Copyright 1907. Winifred Holt." Helen Keller's signature is also on the sculpture; she wrote her name in the clay before it was cast.
Date Made: 1908
Maker: Holt, Winifred, 1870-1945
Credit Line: Gift of Ogden Newell and Welch, 1999.97
Subjects: Deaf-blind. Keller, Helen, 1880-1968. Noted individuals.
Dimension Notes: 16 x 9 in. bronze ; 22 x 13 1/2 x 2 in. frame
Material: Bronze portrait ; wood frame
Updated: 01/05/2018
