Portrait or photograph reading is a technique which can bring to life any painting or picture. The activity can be used at a museum, historic site or house museum, art gallery, the home, or the classroom. Questions may be written or oral or a combination of both. The exercise can be modified to take just a few minutes to begin an introduction to a period, person, or event, or can be a more thorough reading. If using a portrait, don't reveal the identity of the individual until a student guesses correctly or until you have completed the exercise. You may be surprised how closely students come to identifying the character (at least the historically-known traits) of the person being studied.

Sample questions/activities to use when reading portraits and/or photographs:

  • What clues can you find that might indicate something about this subject that he/she would like to convey about his/her life? What was important to the person? Consider clothing, pose, hairstyle, physical features, body language, facial expression, background, props
  • What shapes, colors, textures do you see in the painting or picture? (especially good for kindergarten and lower grades)
  • Write a description of the character of this person, or think of one word that describes this person.
  • Write a short poem or essay focusing on the photograph or portrait. For example, complete a paragraph which begins "I met this lady/gentleman today, and...."
  • When and why do you think this photograph/portrait was made? Use clothing, hairstyles, and method of photography to determine the date.
  • What were the artist's/photographer's reasons for depicting this person or scene?
  • Note the attention to detail (or lack of it). Note shading, coloring, technique, and framing.
  • How does this portrait or photograph help us to understand the period or event being studied?

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