Intriguing archive of material relating to Helen Keller and her gift of a new Akita dog from the Japanese government in 1939. The dog, Kenzan-Go, was presented to Keller following the death of her beloved first pet Akita, Kamikaze. The group is highlighted by two copies of an unsigned three-page typed letter from Keller addressed to Wilfried Fleisher in regard to the replacement of Kamikaze, in part: “With an overflowing heart whose throbs render mere words meaningless I thank you for one of the most beautiful kindnesses friends have devised to give me joy. Miss Olson has written of the trouble you have taken negotiating for an Akita dog from Nippon to replace my darling Kamikaze. I am touched as only one can be who has grieved over a rare angel-in-fur pet.” The archive includes: three vintage glossy photos, 2.75 x 4.5 and 4.5 x 2.75, depicting Kenzan-Go the Akita, with two photos featuring Keller’s longtime companion Polly Thomson; two copies of a letter addressed to Keller by Mary E. Gerhard, a teacher in Tohoku Gakuin, dated September 3, 1938, in part: “The delightful photograph of yourself and your majestic big dog and the cunning little fellows which you sent in June to the students of the North Japan College in Sendai, Japan, arrived safely just before the summer vacation began”; and three copies of a two-page letter addressed to Keller and Thomson by Ishiko Katsurauma, dated September 5, 1938, thanking them for a charitable donation in the wake of a series of disastrous floods. Also included is various correspondence addressed to Lyla M. Olson, who assisted to delivering Keller’s new Akita to America, including: a telegram from Fleischer: “Dog for Helen Keller arrives Kirishimaru June thirtieth”; a pair of handwritten introduction cards presenting Keller and Thomson; an ALS from Helen A. Sunday, the wife of ballplayer and noted evangelist Billy Sunday; and two TLSs from Nils A. Olsen, dated June 23, 1939, and July 3, 1939, relaying to her news of the incoming delivery of Keller’s new Akita aboard the “Krisimamuri” and the subsequent well-publicized arrival of “Kanzan Go” in New York. In overall fine condition. Accompanied by several original mailing envelopes.
