Christine Blanche la Barraque (July 16, 1868 or 1873 — February 10, 1961) was a French-born American soprano and advocate for blind education and employment; she was also the first blind woman to be admitted to the practice of law in California.

Early life and education

La Barraque was born in France, and moved to California with her parents as a girl. Blind from before age 2, she was educated at the California School for the Deaf and Blind in

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

, and completed an undergraduate degree at the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...

in 1896, before pursuing legal training, graduating fifth in her class the Hastings School of Law. After becoming the first blind woman admitted to the bar in California, she studied music in Boston and in Italy for two years. While she was in Italy, she toured some Italian schools for the blind to write about them for ''The New Outlook''.

Career

La Barraque found success performing on the

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

circuit as the mysterious "Lady of the Green Veil," and as a concert singer. She also taught voice. "There is no compensation for blindness, don't let anyone tell you so," la Barraque corrected an interviewer in 1919. "But music is the source of great happiness and enjoyment to me, as it is for you." Helen Keller and

Anne Sullivan Macy Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

attended a performance by la Barraque in 1907. As an advocate for blind people, Christine la Barraque testified before a 1906 committee of the Massachusetts legislature, and attended an international convention of blind educators in Rome. That same year, she performed at the New York State Association for Promoting the Interests of the Blind, at an event headlined by

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

. In 1907, spoke at the meeting of the American Association of Workers for the Blind in Boston. She also spoke at a meeting of the

General Federation of Women's Clubs The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), founded in 1890 during the Progressive Movement, is a federation of over 3,000 women's clubs in the United States which promote civic improvements through volunteer service. Many of its activities ...

in 1908, about employment possibilities for blind women. She was elected president of the San Francisco Workers for the Blind in 1927.

Personal life

In 1931, la Barraque was injured in a sidewalk fall. She died in 1961, age 92."Christine La Barraque"
''New York Times'' (February 12, 1961): 87.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:La Barraque, Christine 19th-century births 1961 deaths University of California alumni Blind musicians Year of birth uncertain French emigrants to the United States Vaudeville performers French blind people California School for the Blind alumni Blind lawyers American lawyers with disabilities University of California College of the Law, San Francisco alumni American musicians with disabilities

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

See also

References