This week, you will be putting your historian skills to use with “document analysis.” When historians are researching a topic, they read through books and articles written by other historians to understand the landscape of the research, but they also go back to the primary sources themselves. Primary sources can come in many forms, such as letters, official documents, but also photographs. Attached is a link to photographs taken and published by Jacob Riis in his book, How the Other Half Lives. Your task this week is to read through the article, provide a summary of it and the work of John Riis, and then answer the questions on the “Photo Analysis Worksheet” linked below, on one of the photographs of your choice, as well as any other insights you have into the photo or article. In your responses to your classmates, compare your photo to theirs and how the two relate. The title of each photograph is below the photo itself.
When you create your thread, title it with the name of the photograph you are analyzing. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail me. Be sure to complete your post and reply to at least two other classmates by June 12, 11:59 pm
John Riis: The Photographer Who Showed “How the Other Half Lives” in 1890’s New York: https://mymodernmet.com/jacob-riis-how-the-other-half-lives/
“Photo Analysis Worksheet:” https://www.archives.gov/files/education/lessons/worksheets/photo_analysis_worksheet.pdf
If you are interested in reading the book itself, it can be found here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45502/45502-h/45502-h.htm