overbrook

If this is the Overbrook School for the Blind in Philly, this photo is dated wrong or named later. The school didn't change its name to Overbrook School for the Blind until 1946. It was called Pennsylvania Institute for the Instruction of the Blind until then. Maybe everyone called it Overbrook anyway? www.obs.org

Two other Bain/LOC Overbrook photos were posted 58 months ago: A female pupil of Overbrook (photo posted in Nov. 2012):

NYT of August 10, 1913 select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60F10FD3A5F1373... An extensive piece about a blind man, with a quote: "at the Overbrook School in Philadelphia, where I studied ..." So it looks as though the name change in 1946 may have been recognition that it was usually referred to as "the Overbrook school."

This shot was taken a split second before hilarity ensued.

Well, at least he's going to land on the side with the cushion.

Odd caption. They didn't copy the wrong spelling of athletes as "athlets" as it is written on the original photo (that's the policy in some places), but they did their own spelling version instead, viz, "atheletes". I blame the Greeks. They started it all — phthsis, indeed!

yeah, fix the typo on the photo title.

Thanks! We'll fix the typo in the source data and reload the description

you misspelled "athlete" in the description...

date is written on top as 4-27-11

The Overbrook School for the Blind still exists. I used to live down the street from it.

Helen Keller? Did someone really tag this with Helen Keller? Jeez.

Wasn't it kind of dangerous to stack blind people into pyramids like that?

Titania is a character in Midsummer Night's Dream.

From a performance or pageant at Overbrook School for the Blind--presumably Titania is one of the Overbrook students.

Here is another photo from the Midsummer Night's Dream production from The Commons, with "Titania" at center:

A June 6, 1914 magazine used the Bain photo with this caption:
A BLIND TITANIA QUEEN OF THE FAIRIES
A Midsummer Night's Dream was given this year in the dramatic work of the Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Blind at Overbrook. The institution's report holds that the drama not only makes the institution known but clears up the old impression that it is a "blind asylum", while in realiity it is "a boarding school for boys and girls who happen to be blind." Most important of all it gives self confidence to blind pupils, helps them to get around, and oflen completely transforms those who are slow to hear and to observe.
books.google.com/books?id=mI4qAAAAMAAJ&lpg=PR14&o...
Another 1914 account, with yet another photo:
books.google.com/books?id=FQUCAAAAYAAJ&dq=overbrook%2...

Thanks to all of you for this great research. We'll add some of this information to the record the next time we update.

Thanks for adding these lovely images to the Dancing Outside group