As you approach the front entrance of the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library in Seattle, you notice a beautiful, unique wooden sculpture. The wooden art was created by artist Dudley Pratt, commissioned in memory of University District bookseller Harry Hartman, who was blind and a WTBBL patron for more than 20 years.

After Hartman’s death in 1945, fellow members of the publishing industry raised funds to be used toward a reading room in his name. The sculpture served as a tactile guide in the entry of the Library for the Blind at the Susan Henry Branch of the Seattle Public Library from 1954 to 1973.

The photo of the sculpture is the second of our special Library Jewels series featuring WTBBL, which is part of the Washington State Library. The third and final post is coming soon.