The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-01-17
A DEAF MUTE ARTIST.
The Brief Brilliant Career Of Miss Sarah
Adams, Who Died Recently.

Adams, Who Died Recently.
A brief art career and one Of brilliant
promise was that of Miss Sarah Adams,
who died at Pennington, VT, short
time ago She was just % years old.
and during the last five years which she
spent in the study of art in this city she
achieved marked success in crayon
drawing. in modelling and in portrait
painting. In the last named branch she
was making a name for herself among
artists, and for months before her death
she was overrun with orders, ON which
she was working when she was taken ILL
Since childhood Miss Adams had
never heard sound. A severe illness
spotted fever-left her entirely deaf
when she was years old, and what lit
tie speech she had before her illness she
quickly forgot. The loss of one faculty,
however, seemed to quicken the others,
and the child showed remarkable apti-
tude in all her studies and developed
very early a fondness for drawing.
When she was still very young. her ia
they, the Rev E. p Adams of Dun
Mutes at Rochester, where she applied
00Io04I eagerly W AOE ebQU10Ss
1t was there that she first took up
drawing Systematically, and she evinc-
ed so much proficiency in it that her
teachers advised Mr.. Adams to send her
to New York to study art Accordingly
she came to New York and began her
studies under an artist of some promi-
nence At this time she was able to
speak little in the mechanical manner
characteristic of deaf mutes who are
taught to speak by sight. At lip read
ing she was wonderfully proficient and
could follow speech readily by watching
the mouth of the speaker.
After a thorough course in prelimi-
nary drawing and work in charcoal
from casts she passed to orayon drawing
from life In this she developed so
much talent that her instructor brought
some Of her work to the notice of Au-
gustus st. Gaudens, the sculptor. He
praised the work, and ON learning that
the artist was young deaf and dumb
girl became much interested in her. 1t
was proposed that Miss Adams should
try her hand at modelling in clay under
ST. Gaudens' personal direction. De-
lighted at this opportunity, the girl
worked with redoubled vigor. She had
already done some things in crayon
which attracted attention, but she
dropped crayon work, devoting all her
energies to modelling St Gaudens pre-
dicted great things for her. Her work
was bold and strong and her sense of
proportion wonderfully accurate. No
pupil of the great sculptor commanded
more careful attention and criticism
from him than this young girl.
After time the steady work began
to tell upon her, and it was thought
best that she should leave the city for
a time. About this time the principal
of finishing school for girls in a small
town near New York, being i'll need of
an instructor in art, asked Mr.. st. Gau-
dens to recommend some one. The sculp-
tor pointed to large clay figure in the
studio and said:
''The artist who did that piece Of
work l can recommend above any one
that know
So an appointment was made for the
principal to meet Miss Adams, the
sculptor having said nothing about the
artists deafness. On the appointed day
the principal came to the studio and
was introduced to the young artist. She
was amazed on discovering the artists
infrmity.
elbow can person who can neither
speak nor hear teach an art class?'' she
said to ST. Gaudens sit seems quite
impossible that she could fill the
place. "
every we'll" returned the sculp-
tor. 81 don t wish to urge it, but have
brought you to the most competent per-
son l know. If you can get her and
don't, you will make the greatest of
mistakes.
It was finally arranged that the girl
should fill the place for few weeks on
trial. From the first day of her incum-
bency there was no question of her COM
potency. The pupils became greatly at
tached to her Immediately, and her sue
cess as teacher was as pronounced as it
was speedy. Besides her teaching she
found plenty of time for outside work.
A portrait for the founder of the school
was wanted, and Miss Adams was ask
ed to paint it.
At the conclusion of the work $3.50
was offered fer it, but it had already
been promised to the school. From that
time her success as a portrait painter
was assured. Orders poured in upon
her, and the ambition that spurred her
to work as hard as she did was perhaps
in part responsible for her death. She
was tired and overworked when she
went to Pennington to paint portrait
A cold which she contracted developed
into pneumonia, and she died after a
few days illness at the house of a
friend.
Personally the young artist was very
attractive She was frank and bright
and sunny natured, showing none of
that suspicious and explosive temper
which is characteristic Of SO many
afflicted as she was. She was a girl of
great personal beauty and distinction
of manner and carriage. Her art extend
ed even to her attire, and she dressed
| in ulE1osG taste in GOWNS dogiouod hv