Is photograph a primary source or secondary source

<Primary Source Home
<Module 1 Home

Module 1: What are primary sources?

Examples of primary sources: photographs

Photographs are a very common type of primary source. They can serve to document:

• events or relationships in a person’s life
• the history of an organization, institution, municipality, country, or social group
• socially significant events
• or almost anything else!

There is a saying that photographs don’t lie. But, like all primary source documents, photographs should be examined carefully when used as primary sources of information.

Keep in mind that photographs are created by particular people to record events from their perspective or because they want to communicate something. People who are the subjects of photographs also often have a communicative purpose in mind.

p. 12/15

Allan Hicks, a University of Illinois student who graduated in 1943, was a member of the University of Illinois Cavalry R.O.T.C. Hicks said he joined the Calvary ROTC because it “sounded like the fun of riding horses,” but he did so during a period in which the United States was at war. For what purpose do you think this picture might have been taken?

Student Scrapbooks and Papers
Alan Hicks Papers, 1939-43
Record Series 41/20/130

When people take a photograph, they make decisions about what to show in, or leave out of, the picture. Photographers do this by choosing the angle from which they take the shot and from what distance it will be taken, either close up or further away. Experienced photographers could then also edit their pictures later in order to change how the original image looked.

Therefore, to correctly interpret what the photographer intended their audience to understand from their image, we have to identify some specific information.

1. Identify the Main Subject: What are the most important people, locations or items in the image?

You can work out what the photographer wanted you to focus on by looking at what is in the centre of the photo, or what appears the largest. This is the main subject the creator wanted the audience to see.

2. Identify Minor Subjects: What appears in the background, behind or around the main subject?

Things of minor importance appear to support the main subject. The photographer wanted to also show these things to help you draw certain conclusions about the main subject.

3. Explain the Image Composition: At what distance from the main subject was the photograph taken?

If the photograph is a ‘close up’ of the main subject, the photographer wanted the audience to feel ‘part of the action’ or to be confronted by the image. If it was taken from further away, the photographer wanted the viewer to feel ‘detached’ from the action or to get a ‘bird’s eye view’ of things.

Resources for Teachers

Using Primary Sources – Library of Congress (LOC)

The Library of Congress website provides tools to help teachers effectively use primary sources. The “Using Primary Sources” section contains Primary Source Sets, with source material organized by key topics, and teacher guides to assist with analyzing specific types of primary sources (see Analyzing Photographs and Prints).

Also consider viewing “Teaching with the Library of Congress”, a blog from the Library of Congress for teachers to discover and discuss effective techniques for using the LOC’s primary sources in the classroom:

• “What Makes a Primary Source a Primary Source?” discusses how to determine if an object is a primary source.
• “Reading Portraits” focuses on analyzing portraiture.

Engaging Students with Primary Sources – Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Reference guide for teachers with practical examples of how to use primary sources in the classroom. Includes strengths and limitations, tips, and activities for documents, photographs, oral histories and objects. Also includes a bibliography and websites featuring primary source materials.

DocsTeach – National Archives

An online tool for teaching with documents, from the National Archives, providing access to thousands of primary sources, ranging in document type and covering a variety of historical topics. Includes ready-made activities to engage students in analyzing primary sources. With a free account, you can save and share source materials and activities, and copy or modify activities to fit your needs.

North Carolina Essential Standards: English Language Arts

W.6.2 – W.8.2   Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

W.6.3 – W.8.3   Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

SL.6.2 – SL.8.2 Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.

North Carolina Essential Standards: Social Studies

6.H.1.3 – 7.H.1.3 Use primary and secondary sources to interpret various historical perspectives.

6.C.1.1 Analyze how cultural expressions reflected the values of civilizations, societies and regions (e.g., oral traditions, art, dance, music, literature, and architecture).

7.C.1.2 Explain how cultural expressions (e.g. art, literature, architecture and music) influence modern society.

North Carolina Essential Standards: Visual Art

6.V.1 – 8.V.1 Use the language of visual arts to communicate effectively.

6.V.2 – 8.V.2  Apply creative and critical thinking skills to artistic expression.

6.CX.1.2 – 8.CX.1.2 Analyze art from various historical periods in terms of style, subject matter, and movements.

6.CX.2.2 – 8.CX.2.2 Understand the connections between art and other disciplines.

Why photographs are primary source?

What type of source is the photograph?