Estimated time to complete this section: 14 minutes
You might not be called upon to decipher the process by which a photograph was created, but you may need to assist others to “read” and research photographs. As components of the historical record, it is easy to assume that photographs are objective reflections of the past. However, photographs are documents created by individuals and institutions operating under a range of assumptions, possibly creating deliberate deceptions or propaganda; they must be “read” and analyzed just as you might evaluate written documents.
It might be helpful to understand photograph analysis as a tiered process, beginning at a basic level, using information found only in the photograph, and ending with identifying reference sources you can consult to extend your understanding. The process is meant to take photographs at more than face value, to question assumptions, and acknowledges the multiple levels of understanding in each image. You’ll note that this thought process is similar to that for films and motion pictures:
adapted from Elisabeth Kaplan and Jeffrey Mifflin, “ ‘Mind and Sight’: Visual Literacy and the Archivist,” in American Archival Studies, ed. Randall C. Jimerson (Chicago: Society of American Archivists,2000 ), 73-97.
3.9 Video
- 1853 Daguerreotype (Total Video Time: 12:21; video transcripts on page)
| The “of”: | What type of photograph is it? (portrait, landscape, architecture, etc.)
Who created the photograph? What do you see? How are people/objects displayed? What is missing? |
| The “about”: | When was the photograph taken?
In what historical context can you place the photograph? |
| Abstract Elements | Why was the photograph taken?
How was the photograph taken? From what perspective (ar angle) is the subject photographed? What is included and excluded by this perspective (or angle)? Who is the intended audience? How might the identity of the intended audience impact the way the photo was received? |
adapted from James Curtis, “Making Sense of Documentary Photography,” History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course on the Web, http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/Photos/, June 2003.