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Winzer, Margret A.
1998.
A Tale Often Told.
Remedial and Special Education,
Vol. 19,
Issue. 4,
p.
212.
Article contents
“More Important Than a Rabble of Common Kings”: Dr. Howe's Education of Laura Bridgman
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 February 2017
Extract
In 1851, a “Great Exhibition” was held in London. There, under the dome of the Crystal Palace, each nation was invited to display its highest contributions to nineteenth-century civilization. Many Americans were mortified to learn, however, that their own offerings to this pageant were received as a dismal failure. The American exhibit, which included a model of Niagara Falls, some false teeth, and a large collection of pasteboard eagles, had even “fallen so far short of expectation as to excite ridicule.” Citizens of the young republic were stung by this blow to the nation's self-esteem.
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References
1 “Our Country and the London Fair,” Evening Transcript, 14 June 1851; Allwood, John The Great Exhibitions (London, 1977), 22.Google Scholar
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