Read photographs as sources.
Open the archival research field guide →
Ask who made the record, which moment it captures, what the caption adds, and what is beyond the frame.
Library of Congress: primary-source methodsRead a little
further.
Follow original records, deepen your methods, and bring an investigation to your classroom.
Look beyond the scan.
Item records distinguish creator, publisher, date, format, custody and rights. Those fields can settle a conflict without changing the artifact.
National Archives: educator resourcesTeach the evidence.
Print a revealed case without the score interface. Compare source judgments and write competing theories.
Open the educator’s deskCommercial independence.
These editorial source links contain no affiliate tags. Future affiliate links and sponsored collections must disclose their relationship individually. Sponsorship does not determine the historical findings or accepted answers.
From the reading desk
A field guide to the archive
A few methods for looking closely, checking records and keeping uncertainty visible. Your private Notebook stays at your own research desk.
How to read a historical photograph
Separate observation from inference, check the original record, and build a careful interpretation of an archival photograph.
Which date belongs to an archival image?
Distinguish the date of an exposure, a depicted event, a print and a catalog record without inventing a precise historical date.
How to trace an archival image to its source
Keep a usable trail from an image to its item record, creator credit and rights statement when researching historical pictures.