New Keller Photo Surfaces

A rare photo of a young Helen Keller accompanied by teacher Anne Sullivan in 1888 has surfaced among a family collection donated to the New England Historic Genealogical Society. The photo, which was tucked away in an album, may be the first taken of the two and the only to show Keller with one of her beloved dolls, the AP reports.

"Doll" was the first word Sullivan spelled for the blind and deaf girl, which sparked her comprehension of language. "It just seemed like something no one would find very interesting," said Thaxter Spencer, who donated his family's albums unaware of the photo. Far from dull, the picture is "a huge visual addition to the history of Helen and Annie," one archivist said. (More Helen Keller stories.)