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Essay writing skillsEvaluate images
Photographs can be realistic, factual images, but they only reveal what the photographer wants
you to see.
Studying images, paintings and photography gives you an insight into society and people that books and websites may not. When analysing images, think about:
- the details, especially in the background – clothing, buildings, cars etc.
- whether the image matches information in written documents describing the same people or events
- how the subject of the picture is represented – how does this affect what you think about the person, place or event?
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whether the image contains any symbols – if so, what do they mean and why have they been used?
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whether an image – photograph, illustration or painting – has been manipulated so that details have been changed or left out
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whether a portrait was completed in the subject's lifetime, or whether the artist was working from memory
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whether an illustration is a figurative or a literal representation.
For example
A picture of Melbourne in the 1800s may depict rubbish-free streets. This is because food wasn't packaged at the time.
For example
In 1835, William Buckley met European settlers at Indented Head. Almost every image of the event shows John Batman at this meeting, but his diary shows he was on his way back to Tasmania at the time.
For example
There is evidence to suggest that paintings and illustrations of John Batman held in the State Library of Victoria were created using a portrait painted over 50 years after his death. The attractive man in portraits contradict the fact that Batman died of syphilis, a wasting disease that caused his face to collapse.
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