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Guide dogs or good dogs from the Middle Ages

Medieval illustrations often show blind people, sometimes with dogs. But working out whether these were actually guide dogs involves a mix of detailed detective work and expert speculation.

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Images

  • A troupe of blind musicians and their dogs confronting a rival street musician and his dog. Lithograph by Engelmann after S. Baptiste, 1828.
  • John Stanley, a blind musician. Line engraving, 1784.
  • A blind musician holding a uilleann pipe or pastoral bagpipe. Etching attributed to G. Grattan.
  • A blind musician plays the koto to a gathering of women dressed in ornate kimonos. Coloured woodcut by Kuniyoshi, 1849/1852.
  • A blind musician carrying a shamisen (?) and walking with the aid of a cane. Watercolour by Zhou Pei Qun, ca. 1890.
  • A band of seven blinded soldiers playing the banjo. Photograph, ca. 1919.
  • Canton, Kwangtung (Guangdong) province, China: two seated musicians. Photograph by John Thomson, 1869.
  • Canton, Kwangtung (Guangdong) province, China: two seated musicians. Photograph by John Thomson, 1869.
  • Jack Keiling, known as Blind Jack, played the flageolet through his nose. Mezzotint.
  • John Keiling, known as Blind Jack, played the flageolet through his nose. Line engraving by R. Graves.
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