Images as Historical Artifacts

Worth a 1,000 words?

 Photographs have tremendous power to communicate information. But they also have tremendous power to communicate

mis

information.

Camera never lies?

  “While photographs may not lie, liars may photograph.” Photo of John Kerry at the Register for Peace Rally on 13 June 1970 in New York one of actress Jane Fonda at a rally in August 1972 put together with a background.

Objectivity of photos  Photograph as reality  Ingrained belief that a photograph depicts reality  Photographer as communicator  Chooses the reality to depict • • • • Artistic Compelling subjects Persuade Emotional reaction

Methods of communicating  Photographer consciously decides what to photograph and how  Selection of a photo  Background or setting  Caption  Cropping  Vary exposure or filters  Examples:  Walker Evans photo  Dorothea Lange photos

Interpreting photos  If we are to determine the meaning of a documentary photograph we must begin by establishing the historical context for both the image and its creator.  Content of the photograph  Intent of the photographer

Questions to consider  What is in the photo?

 Where and when was this photograph taken?  Who took the photo?

Questions to consider   Why did the photographer select these particular elements to include in the photograph? What don't you see? Why did the photographer emphasize certain elements and not others? What's in focus?

Historical Context  History is an analysis and interpretation of the past based on primary sources.

 Images are just one type of primary source. Others:  Letters, newspapers, documents, films, artifacts, diaries, songs…

Finding Historical Context  Discovering the events behind the image and the impact of the image  Emmett Till case  14 year old boy murdered in Mississippi in 1955

The Photo…

Research Tools  History Subject Page  Historical encyclopedias  America History & Life  Reader’s Guide Retrospective  Historic New York Times  Emmett Till examples

For More Information  History Matters  Making Sense of Films  Making Sense of Advertisements  Making Sense of Documentary Photographs  Analyzing 19th c. Daguerreotypes  Analyzing Political Cartoons  American Memory: Types of Primary Sources

Sources for Historic Images  UW Libraries Digital Collections  American Memory  NYPL Picture Collection  British Library Images Online  Images Canada  Picture Australia  WWI & WWII Posters  Jarda: Japanese American Relocation Digital Archive