Invited Essay: Archer M. Huntington's "Dream Team"

Abstract

Abstract: Little is known about the history of women's curatorial work in museums, particularly the work of deaf women. The contributions of Archer M. Huntington, founder of the Hispanic Society Museum and Library (HSM&L) in New York City and the women to whom he entrusted library and museum work deserve to be better known. Some of these women were deaf, and two of them, Eleanor Sherman Font and Margaret Sherman, were great-granddaughters of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, founder of the first public school for the deaf in the United States. These women not only worked as curators but also led overseas research expeditions. Information about the deaf women who worked at HSM&L and an examination of the philosophy of the HSM&L founder provide insight into how deaf women succeeded in this unique work, and how their contributions were crucial to consolidation of the HSM&L collections.