History -Types of Evidence

You will encounter various types of evidence in history, you need to understand the evidence before you can try to make sense of the past. What follows is an attempt to help you to understand and interpret the evidence you will encounter in the course.

PHOTOGRAPHS
Remember the old saying, The camera never lies. Well it can. A lot of photographs can be doctored or changed both in the past or more recently. We have to be careful not to accept photos at their face value. The photograph on the right claimed to show a plane being shot down in World War I and the pilot plunging to his death. It is in fact a model plane burning with a model figure falling out. This did not prevent several text books using this photo as an authentic image of dog fights in the First World War. Although you will not get doctored photographs in your exams, you may well get staged photographs.

Think
Are the images portrayed in photographs typical of events at that time? Why might the photographer have staged the picture, what is their motive? When looking at photographs consider the following;

What does the photograph show? When and where was the photograph taken? Why was the photograph taken? Is there a reason to think the photographer chose a viewpoint or a subject to make us feel in a certain way about the event or the people depicted?

Is there any sign that the people in the photograph are posing for the photographer? Were they aware of the camera? Does this make any difference to the value of the photograph?

Is there any reason to think that the photograph is not a typical example of what it appears to show? Is there any reason to think that it might have been altered in any way?

Look at the photograph below, taken in 1914. Why was this picture taken? For what purposes would this picture be used? What effect did the camera have on the people in it? Has the photo been tampered with? Did the photographer ask the people to behave in a particular way? Is there a caption which helps to give an impression of the picture?

Interpreting Cartoons
Remember a cartoon is not always meant to be funny, originally they were a means of putting a message across in pictorial form for people who could not read very well. Cartoons are exaggerated for effect, the picture is not a reliable representation of the past. Franklin Roosevelt does not suffer from polio in cartoons, Winston Churchill is sometimes portrayed as a bulldog. This is clearly counterfactual but think of the message being put forward Roosevelt was a man of action, Churchill had the qualities of a bulldog.

You may well come across national stereotypes or symbols to represent countries Think about Britannia and John Bull for Britain, the little boy from Manly for Australia, Marie- anne for France, Uncle Sam for the USA, a bear for USSR and many others. Your task when looking at cartoons is work out the message of the cartoonists and whether it is an accurate reflection of a person or an event in the past. The aim of cartoons is to make political points. Look at the following pointers to help you look at and understand a cartoon.

The date - What was going on at this time. The type of publication it appeared in and in which country.

Look at the caption - it is usually very blunt. Look at the labels on the cartoon, they usually give a clue as to what the cartoon is about. Look at the background, what impression is it trying to give ? Look at the figures in the cartoon in terms of size and relationship to each other. Facial expressions are important , is the person shown as brave, cowardly, sincere etc

This cartoon was by the British cartoonist, David Low in 1939.

DRAWINGS AND PAINTINGS

Paintings or drawings are the creation of an artist whose main concerns may not be with a factual and accurate representation of the past but concerned with composition or technical aspects of his or her craft. An artist may choose to exaggerate some aspects of the picture and omit other features. The artist may be trying to put a point of view across, the artist may have been commissioned to produce a particular picture of an event or person. Are official war artists going to paint pictures that undermine the side they are on? The painting may not have been done at the time, it may be based on eyewitness accounts, on sketches, on newspaper articles or based on photographs or film. Ask questions, do not accept the picture at face value.

Does the picture attempt to portray events realistically? Use your own knowledge to support your view. What information is included in the picture? When was the picture drawn? Why was it produced? Is the painting meant to make you react in a particular way? What emotions does it stir in you? Does it show you something that could not have been shown in another format. E.g. Was it impossible for anyone else to view the event?. Is it the result of the artists imagination?

If the picture is accurate was the artist an eyewitness?

LOOK at the painting of Dunkirk,1940. It was painted by a British government war artist THINK

Was it like this at Dunkirk? How do you know?

Who is playing the most important role here? The smalll ships or the Royal Navy?

Why is one side of the picture dark and the other side bright? What does it signify or represent?

How do the soldiers appear under fire? Calm or panicking? Do the RAF come out of this picture positively? Does this look like a defeat or a victory? If i t is an official painting what message does the government want to convey? Is it likely the artist was there to paint this scene? Where did he get his information from?

POSTERS
Propaganda is a form of advertising, the aim is to get you to feel or to act in a particular way. It is biased and one sided. It only gives limited information and wants you to accept it as the truth. It ignores other viewpoints, other facts and other attitudes. It will appeal to your emotions, to your concerns or worries. It may offer you a solution a way of tackling your fears and worries.

It is important that you know the context in which it was produced. What was going on at that time? How does the poster want people to react in that context?

STATISTICS
Statistics are important to a historian, they can indicate effects, growth and decline and measure progress. You may well come across figures showing casualty figures, army recruitment, agricultural and industrial production, unemployment, wage figures, inflation rates, export and import figures, government spending and a host of other figures. You should be careful when using statistics. As the British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli said, There are three kinds of lie: lies, darn lies and statistics.

It is said you can prove anything with statistics. You must treat them with caution, see them as a guide, a suggestion of a trend rather than concrete proof. ASK QUESTIONS

When and how were the figures collected? Who collected them? Are the figures complete? Who selected the statistics? What do they tell us about the past? What do they prove? Do the statistics support or disprove a statement? Has the scale been altered for effect? Have the figures been simplified
Size of the armies(in millions) in Europe 19001914

1900 1910 1914

FRANCE BRITAIN RUSSIA AUSTRIA-HUNGARY

0.7 0.6 1.1

0.8

0.9

0.55 0.5 1.3 0.8 0.35 1.5 0.35

0.25 0.3 0.5 0.7

GERMANY ITALY

0.25 0.3

THINK

Who has got the biggest army? Who has got the smallest army? What happens to the size of the armies? Why might this be happening? Do all countries follow this trend? How can you explain these differences?