Find Your Librarian!
Your first task: you need to find a painting.
The painting must have a historical subject, but it can cover any topic, time period, or location.
Later in this assignment, you will describe the painting and place it in its artistic, social, political and historical context with some expertise. You will also articulate how this painting is a primary source, or if it is part of a historical argument, interpretation or analysis.
Some links for paintings and museums:
https://images.nga.gov/en/page/show_home_page.html (Links to an external site.)
http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/search.aspx (Links to an external site.)
http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/ (Links to an external site.)
http://art.thewalters.org/ (Links to an external site.)
http://www.huntington.org/ (Links to an external site.)
Here are some themes that may help you choose among paintings:
- paintings depicting folk customs, indigenous people, indigenous practices
- paintings of people at work
- paintings of war, generals, heroes and soldiers
- paintings of landscapes
- paintings of machines, paintings depicting mechanization/industrialization
- paintings of revolutions and revolutionaries (this may be similar to paintings of war - but there is a difference)
Once you've chosen your painting, your next task is to find a librarian in one of those libraries you visited during your previous mission.
When you find one:
- Introduce yourself to your librarian and explain your task.
- Ask your librarian to help you find the stacks that hold books & material that will help you.
- Ask a librarian why the books you need are organized the way they are. What sources does the librarian cite to explain this?
- Ask your librarian where your library's “special collections” are - and assess if the special collections might be helpful to your research?
- Take a selfie with the librarian. You know you want to!
Keep in mind that there are a LOT of libraries on campus, and even more librarians. Many academic librarians are subject specialists -- this means that there may be librarians that are very knowledgeable about the subject you are trying to research! Visit a library that you think will have the most resources available about your particular painting, and be sure to ask about special resources that could be helpful to you specifically.