Early evidence of low-tech communication in an Otto Dix painting of 1920.
This paper presents and analyzes a finding that gives evidence of the use of a low-tech communication device long before the formal establishment of the field of augmentative and alternative communication. The device, a simple low-tech alphabet board, is portrayed in a 1920 painting of World War I veterans by German Expressionist Otto Dix. Entitled "War Cripples," the painting shows one of the veterans, who sustained severe disfigurement and jaw mutilation resulting in speech loss, pointing to a letter on a chart pinned to his uniform. The analysis of the painting utilized Aby Warburg's methodology for researching the significance of images within the cultural context in which they are produced.
Reily
Lucia
L
Universidade Estadual de Campinas - Unicamp, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. lureily@terra.com.br
Panhan
Helena
H
Tupinambá
Ariane
A
D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities / Q000266:history*; D005197:Famous Persons; D005858:Germany; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D010151:Paintings / Q000266:history*; D014728:Veterans / Q000266:history; D047828:World War I