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Two Library of Congress blog posts
These insightful blog posts each with a very different focus, reminded me how photo research and analysis as well as photomontages can create a story or emphasize the diversity we see in each of us.
- Timeless stories from the Library of Congress Du Bois and the Paris Exposition of 1900: Three Pictures by Lauryn Gilliam
- Picture This Library of Congress Prints & Photos A Giant visitor to New York City by
Kristi Finefield
As I see from Lauryn Gilliam’s post, each face and photo speaks to us individually. And the technology of photomontage as shared by Kristi Finefield is not new and can create a unique story or emphasize a point.
Connecting the two
The W.E.B Du Bois collection that Lauryn Gilliam describes is one of my favorites for photography, civil rights, African American History and culturally relevant pedagogy. Also Du Bois’ powerful story, told through images and graphs of the struggle and resilience of our ancestors, was the multimedia of its time.
To extend that lesson with a photomontage technique that Kristi Finefield shared is easily accomplished with the digital technology of today.
Blending story telling and analysis, students might select a favorite individual image image from a group, photo, lift out and analyze or reflect on that person’s story. Below are my simple examples.
https://www.loc.gov/item/95507126/
https://www.loc.gov/item/95502382/
Or Students might apply a montage to one of Du Bois’ statistical graphs to emphasize the connection of the statistics about Georgia with the portriats of the people who were part of those statistics.
Perhaps I’ve connected two ideas that don’t mesh, but I hope they show how a historic photo technique, that we are often wary of today and a primary source can spark some thinking and digital creation - both important habits of mind in today’s world for students practice and learning.
W.E.B. Du Bois African American Photography Digital Art Technology Integration
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Cheryl Davis
, I think what you've done through these visual techniques is to connect personal stories to the larger histories of groups of people. Everyone has his or her own story to tell as a participant in an historical event or period. The results of your use of simple photo "lifting out" method is so evocative and simple.
We often talk about building empathy through primary sources. The potential paths to building that empathy may be many and varied, but this "Lifting Out Heritage & History" strategy leads students right into personal stories in a unique, interactive way. Brilliant!
- Love the images you created
Cheryl Davis
! They reminded me a bit of the cover college for the At the Table with: Mary Church Terrell interactive, which is an amazing example of the intersection between primary sources, art, and digital interfaces.
Here’s an activity inspired by Cheryl’s fantastic idea.
- Students could analyze the original photo using the primary source analysis tool, do some research to learn more about the people/place/event/time period (be sure to have them save and cite sources), and summarize what they learned in a short paragraph or bullet points.
- Then, based on what they learned through primary source analysis and research, select one person to create the image collage and complete two sentence stems, one from each group that they will add to the collage: I know, I think, I feel; I want, I wish, I hope.
- The image and the sentence stems could be accompanied by a student-created curator’s note that provides context for the viewer.
- If created on paper, post in the school hallway so other students can view the work and learn. If created digitally, showcase on a class or school blog or social media channel.
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