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In history classes, students analyze historical artwork, photographs, or other artifacts in a slightly different way than we analyze historical text (Ladd, MacAdam, & Cohen, 2014). Aside from being a different representation of the past, use of visual mediums provide students with different modes of "doing history," contributing to universal access.
Protocol for close analysis:
Step 1: Observe Closely
Look carefully at each section of this lithograph (feel free to make circles and notes)
What do you notice?
What are the different people doing?
What do you notice about their appearance?
What items do you observe?
Step 2: Analysis
Without looking at the text that comes with this piece, think about the visual information.
What do you think this image is trying to persuade the audience (related to our question)?
What does the image indicate about the artist’s perspective?
Step 3: Research
Read the supporting text.
Does this information reinforce what you observed or deduced on your own?
Did the text mention anything you did not see or think about previously? If so, what?
How would your experience of this piece have been different if you read the background information first?
Step 4: Interpretation
Interpretation involves bringing together your close observation, analysis, and any additional information you have gathered to try and understand what it means for your question.
What does this piece tell me about our question?
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