This is pretty cool...

A photo of Helen Keller, taken in 1888, was recently found in a family photo album.

Read more here. (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jx5UkYp5N1mBlA4hm74zF_MZc9RwD8V7JFN80)

That is really cool. Thanks!

Besides being an historically important document, it's also a fine photograph. Great find. Thanks for posting.

Look at this! I think it's beautiful, especially knowing her life story.

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/0305helen-keller0305-ON.html

edited to say, I don't think (or know) that it's the oldest. But it's nice! Sorry for in inaccuracy. (haha - as if it's my first?)

Surely her family had some baby pitchers of her, dont you think?

paulie

I saw this recently and was just awed. Says so much about photography, about history, about her... and what was the photographer thinking, that this was just another disabled girl? Or that this photograph might one day be a priceless record?

Wonderful stuff.

It raises one issue for me, relating to a recent discussion of "truth" in photography. This is an example of a subject who likely would not have reacted to the presence of the photographer. A very different kind of human subject. In that sense, because she is rather vulnerable in this state, the photograph has a quite different meaning than found in most portraits.

Sorry. It's the oldest showing her with her teacher.

Threads merged.

Here's a follow up on the photo, it wasn't quite as undiscovered as they thought it was:

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080313/NEWS/803130331

-Al

Pretty interesting.

What a beautiful little profile Helen had! I find both their lives wonderfully inspiring! I love having an authentic image to put with the stories.