Background
Theophilus Hope D'Estrella was born on February 6, 1851 in San Francisco, California, United States.
Theophilus Hope D'Estrella was born on February 6, 1851 in San Francisco, California, United States.
Theophilus Hope D'Estrella attended California School for the Deaf in Berkeley from 1860 to 1873, then the University of California, Berkeley, from 1873 to 1876. He completed his studies at the School of Design of the San Francisco Art Association (1879-1884).
Theophilus Hope D'Estrella was a teacher at the California School for the Deaf (1876-1879 and 1884-1929), he inaugurated the school's art program, including photography. Using sign language, he gave lectures to deaf groups illustrating them with lantern slides, especially about his Hopi Indian trip of 1902.
The photographer produced pictorial and documentary images of deaf children at work, play and fantasy at the California School for the Deaf, printing in small sizes for albums. He also created albums of his holiday trips with the Camera Club and the Sierra Club as well as his solo tramps in the Sierra Nevada.
Theophilus Hope D'Estrella won first prize, animal section, at the First Photographic Salon in San Francisco in 1901 and the second-place Alvord award in drawing from the School of Design in 1881. The California School for the Deaf awarded him a three-month study tour of Europe in 1889. Theophilus Hope D'Estrella also exhibited small oils and watercolors in several annual Spring Exhibitions at M.H.A.I.
Theophilus Hope D'Estrella belonged to the San Francisco Art Association, California Camera Club, which he joined in 1891 (and for which he served on its lantern-slide committee), Sierra Club, California Association of the Deaf and National Association of the Deaf.
Physical Characteristics: Theophilus Hope D'Estrella was a deaf.
