ART AS PRIMARY SOURCES: A 16TH-CENTURY ENGRAVING
INTRODUCTION
Primary sources are firsthand accounts or direct evidence of an event or period under study. These types of sources include, but are not limited to letters, interviews, photographs, and cultural artifacts such as coins, everyday objects, and works of art.
With studying these original materials, students and researchers have the opportunity to learn about what was important to the people who lived at that time, discover what life was like through the lens of these objects, and consider ways these sources connect to our lives in the twenty-first century.
In the sections below are resources for you to explore with your students. The materials focus on a print from the Ackland’s collection and how to explore art as primary sources. Although most content may be appropriate for eighth grade, the materials can be modified per grade level.
LEARN ABOUT THE ART
Watch the video below and look closely at one print from the Ackland’s collection. Discover what the artwork tells us about the time it was made and the audience it was created for.
Click here to view a text transcript of this video.
View this artwork in the Ackland’s online collection database.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
After watching the video above, click the following buttons to engage in writing and drawing activities that extend your art experience. All materials are printable PDFs and can be done at school or at home. Consider using the images below or other Theodor de Bry artworks from the Ackland’s collection to complete the activities.
EXPLORE OTHER WORKS BY THE ARTIST
RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS
Find Art Primary Sources
What are you researching? What type of object(s) do you think might help you learn more about the people and events of the past? Museums are home to art objects of all kinds, ancient to contemporary, which can be used as primary sources. Visit museum websites to find images and information about artworks.
Search for objects using museum online collections, which usually allow to you filter your results by type of object, such as painting or photograph, by artist, or by the date in which the object was created. View the Ackland’s collection database here.
Learn More
To help answer any questions you still have about the artwork, use books, articles, and credible web resources for your research.
The following are a selection of key web resources:
- Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, United States. Online essays and visual timeline using thematic and geographical exploration of global art history through the Met’s collection.
- The Museum of the World, British Museum, London, United Kingdom. An interactive resource with audio, text, and themes to highlight objects from across time and the world.
- Art History, SmartHistory. An overarching art history learning tool that covers prehistoric art to today.
Also, consider visiting your local library to access print materials.
Cite Your Sources
When using primary resources in your research, it is important to give credit to your sources as you would a secondary source, such as a book or article. Use the following resources to learn how to accurately cite your primary sources:
RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS
Using Primary Sources – Library of Congress (LOC)
The Library of Congress website provides tools to help teachers effectively use primary sources. The “Using Primary Sources” section contains Primary Source Sets, with source material organized by key topics, and teacher guides to assist with analyzing specific types of primary sources (see Analyzing Photographs and Prints, Analyzing Maps, and Analyzing Books and Other Printed Texts)
Also consider viewing “Teaching with the Library of Congress”, a blog from the Library of Congress for teachers to discover and discuss effective techniques for using the LOC’s primary sources in the classroom:
- “What Makes a Primary Source a Primary Source?” discusses how to determine if an object is a primary source.
- “Teaching with Maps in the Classroom” lists questions and additional resources for analyzing maps.
Engaging Students with Primary Sources – Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Reference guide for teachers with practical examples of how to use primary sources in the classroom. Includes strengths and limitations, tips, and activities for documents, photographs, oral histories and objects. Also includes a bibliography and websites featuring primary source materials.
DocsTeach – National Archives
An online tool for teaching with documents, from the National Archives, providing access to thousands of primary sources, ranging in document type and covering a variety of historical topics. Includes ready-made activities to engage students in analyzing primary sources. With a free account, you can save and share source materials and activities, and copy or modify activities to fit your needs.
Additional Resources on Primary Sources
- “Reading Primary Sources: an introduction for students,” Kathryn Walbert
- “Teaching with Primary Sources,” Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
- “Teacher’s Guides and Analysis Tool: Primary Source Analysis Tool for Students,” Library of Congress
- “Keeping Students Engaged with Primary Sources,” Library of Congress Blogs
Explore More about the Artwork
- Harriot, Thomas. Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia (1590), Dover Publications, 1972.
- Hulton, Paul. The Complete Drawings of John White. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1984.
- Thomas Harriot’s Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia, 1590.
- Ackland Art Museum Collection search results for Thomas Harriot (135 works on paper)
- John White (artist info and related objects), The British Museum
Learn More about Native American Cultures and Histories
For additional resources about teaching with and learning about Native American cultures and histories, explore this resource list on the Learning For Justice website.
North Carolina Essential Standards: English Language Arts
W.6.2 – W.8.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
W.6.3 – W.8.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
SL.6.2 – SL.8.2 Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
North Carolina Essential Standards: Social Studies
5.B.1.2 Explain how the values and beliefs of various indigenous, religious, and racial groups have contributed to the development of American identity.
8.B.1.2 Explain how cultural values, practices, and the interactions of various indigenous, religious, and racial groups have influenced the development of North Carolina and the nation.
WH.B.2.3 Explain the impact of global interaction on the development of national, tribal, and ethnic identities, now and in the past.
WH.E.1.1 Explain how a desire for resources has impacted the global interactions and economic interdependence of empires, societies, and/or nations, now and in the past.
North Carolina Essential Standards: Visual Art
6.V.1 – 8.V.1 Use the language of visual arts to communicate effectively.
6.V.2 – 8.V.2 Apply creative and critical thinking skills to artistic expression.
7.CX.1.1 Understand the visual arts in relationship to the geography, history, and culture of modern societies from the emergence of the First Global Age (1450) to the present.
6.CX.1.2 – 8.CX.1.2 Analyze art from various historical periods in terms of style, subject matter, and movements.
6.CX.2.2 – 8.CX.2.2 Understand the connections between art and other disciplines.
Image Credit:
Theodor de Bry, Franco-Flemish, 1528-1598, The Town of Secota, plate 20, from Thomas Harriot’s A Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia, Latin edition, published 1590, engraving, sheet: 13 1/16 × 19 1/16 in. (33.2 × 48.4 cm). The Michael N. Joyner Collection, 2021.15.93.