Art & History Tutorial
Art is not often recognized as a viable historic resource. In fact, art can provide a great deal of information. Art, especially, but not limited to, 19th century folk art tends to record a variety of social, cultural, and physical history pretty accurately. Art is subjective and reflective of the artist's and client's tastes, beliefs, and values. When using art as historical evidence it is important to understand the symbolism of the era in which the piece was created, the artist who created it (both personally and professionally), and, as with most sources, have additional research from other media to support your argument.
Researching
Both history and art museums hold art collections that vary in size, material, period, and subject. Each museum has its own set of policies and procedures, so be sure to check with the institution before assuming there is access to the material. Remember the following when researching art:
- Locate a museum that has a collections pertaining to your topic. The art can be found at institutions near the place where the event took place, but it is just as likely to be located in distant museums that specialize in a particular genre or artist. Do not limit your search to art museums, historical societies may have an extensive art collection. Furthermore, archives and libraries may have reproductions available for research purposes. Most of these institutions have a web site where you can find contact information, directions, and search their collections.
- Locate artwork in the institution's on-line catalog (if available) or contact the museum's curator to find more information. Be sure to record the collection number and the name of the curator who you spoke with for future reference.
- Find out if there is a collection file associated with the artwork. In addition to artifacts, museums also collect information and research pertaining to the artwork from very specific to general levels. Collections files have valuable family histories and artist information. File should also contain provenance or information pertaining to the history of ownership from creation to the point in at which the organizations obtained the art.
- Be sure to find documentation proving the place, date, and persons involved in the work. Do not assume something is an event because it looks to be so. Often times, folk artists traveled in order to make a living. Some of these artists used generic templates that could be personalized for a client. Therefore it is important to research the history of the artist and what he was doing a the time that the painting or piece was done as well as the piece of art and the subject of the artwork.
- Do not ignore the frame and canvas; both can reveal a great deal of information. Also, turn the artwork over. Artists and owners of the piece may have recorded information on the back.
- Ask the curator if a copy of the art is available and record the place where you found it and the collection number.
- While handling and inspecting the art be sure to respect it. Do not touch the piece unless it is absolutely necessary. If you do need to touch it, ask permission, get help, and always wear white gloves.
Interpreting Art
While art may present a wealth of information, it can also be difficult to interpret, especially if there is no supporting documentation to explain or identify the artist or event captured in the piece. There are many clues that can help you read a piece of art, including:
- Look at the hair and fashion styles of the people depicted in the image. You can typically compare them with advertisements in old newspapers, magazines, and catalogs to get an approximate date.
- Look for physical landmarks in the image. Unusual natural environment, landmarks, and buildings, are recorded accurately and can give clues to the place and date of a piece of art. Signs on businesses can be looked up in city directories available at historical societies and archives. Buildings can be found in photographs and other documentation.
- Record if the event is a special occasion. Prior to the Civil War photography was still rare and very expensive, therefore families may have commissioned an artist to record the event. Weddings, deaths or other special events may have been announced in a local paper. Also, artists may have incorporated specific objects in the image to symbolize an event or subject (e.g. a person or family's social class, history, ethnicity, etc.) These symbols can tell historians a great deal about what was socially and culturally important to the people associated with the art. The challenge is in interpreting what the meanings of these objects are.
- Turn the artwork over! People may have record information on the reverse side such as names, dates, and places. Moreover, manufacturer marks may also be visible on the frame or canvas that can yield information on how and where the artist obtained their supplies.
- Look for supplementary information in books, articles, letters, journals, and other primary sources that support the art. Like any other primary sources, one piece of art may prove to be a contradiction, but it does not necessarily prove a thesis by itself.
Exercise
Using the art at the upper right of this page, try to identify the purpose, the time period, and the subject. Consider the following:
- What type of art is it? Is it a landscape or a portrait? Is it folk art or fine art?
- Who or what is in the art? Record the number of men and women, children and adults. Try to identify the people in the art, and look for physical characteristics that distinguish nationality, ethnicity, religion, or race.
- What are the people wearing? Is there a trend in their dress that can suggest a date?
- Where are these people? You may not be able to identify the city or state, but it is possible to identify the type or period style of room or building they are in.
- Are the people posing or caught in an action? Can you tell if this is a symbolic image or painted to represent what the artist was looking at?
- Is anyone holding or carrying an object that may tell something about the event or a person?s occupation or social class?
- Look at the surrounding environment; is there anything unusual or reoccurring? What does the architecture and division of land tell you? Why do buildings and fences differ? Are there animals? What kind? What could this tell you?
Follow the link under Resources and use the worksheet to dissect the painting and find historically significant information.
