Douglas Tilden: American Deaf sculptor

Douglas Tilden (1860-1935) was one of the best known American sculptors. He's known as the "Michelangelo of the America West".

Name sign for Tilden Douglas

Name sign for the famous American Deaf sculptor in the 19th century, known as "Michelangelo of the America West".

Pronunciation (sign description): Dominant "open-8" handshape with the tip of the middle finger moves from the chin toward the middle of the upper chest.

Learner tip: Don't confuse this sign with BIRTHDAY.

Related signs: NAME SIGN, CALIFORNIA, SCULPTURE.

Famous landmarks

If you travel to San Francisco, you can see some of his sculptural works in public.

Douglas became deaf at the age of five due to scarlet fever; he attended the California School for the Deaf (CSD) in Berkeley, California.

After graduation, Tilden began sculpting while he worked at CSD. Then he studied art in Paris, France, where he met another deaf sculptor Paul Chopin who taught him more about sculpture.

Many of his statues can be found in San Francisco, Berkeley, the San Francisco Bay Area, and along the west coast of the U.S.

These are some of his best known sculptures: The Baseball Player (1889) located in Golden Gate Park, The Young Acrobat in Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., The Football Players at the University of California, The Bear Hunt at CSD, and many other notable works.

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