Civil Rights: Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Alice Cogswell - West Hartford, CT

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet

 and 

Alice Cogswell

West Hartford, CT

N 41° 46.268 W 072° 44.801

Short Description: 

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was a teacher of the deaf and started the first school for the deaf in America. Alice Cogswell was his first student. The memorial sculpture is located on the campus of the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford.

Long Description:

A 76" by 43" by 50" sculpture of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Alice Cogswell rests on a 55" by 54" by 60" base. This is the second casting of this work. It replaces a previous casting that was made in 1888 and accidentally destroyed in 1920. It was created by Daniel Chester French and cast at the American Art Foundry. It was installed at its present location in 1924.

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, teacher of the deaf, is is wearing a frock coat, trousers buttoned at the cuffs, waistcoat with lapels, and a bow tie. He seated while his first student, Alice Cogswell, wearing a long dress, stands at his right side. Gallaudet's left arm around the girl's waist while he makes the sign for the letter "A" with his right hand. Alice Cogswell is making the "A" sign with her right hand. She is holding a book to her chest with her left hand. A coat hangs over the right side and back of the claw foot chair. There are inscriptions on all four sides of the base.

The front of base to the left of a bronze wreath:

FRIEND

TEACHER

BENEFACTOR 

On the north side between two torches:

THOMAS HOPKINS GALLAUDET, LL. D.

BORN IN PHILADELPHIA, DECEMBER 10, 1787

FOUNDED

AT HARTFORD THE FIRST SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF

IN AMERICA 1817

DIED AT HARTFORD, SEPTEMBER 10, 1851

On the south side between two torches:

THIS REPLICA ERECTED BY NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

OF THE DEAF 1925

TO REPLACE MONUMENT ERECTED IN 1854 ON ORIGINAL

SITE OF THE FIRST AMERICAN SCHOOL

On the east side:

COMMITTEE

PRESIDENT ARTHUR L. ROBERTS, EX OFFICIO

THOMAS E. FOX, CHAIRMAN

JOHN B. HOTCHKINS } TREASURERS

HARLEY D. DRAKE } 

JOHN O'ROURKE