Objects and Images

offer a window into the past, providing both context for, and critique of, the history we teach.

This section is currently under construction. More objects will be added soon.

All Objects

August 24, 2024

Cage Crinolines

Everything Has a History

The Everything Has a History section in Perspectives on History provides a deep descriptive dive into a single object (broadly construed) and its history. These pieces can serve as a jumping-off point for classroom discussion.

A large Z in the color of the St. George’s Ribbon on the front of a municipal culture center in Russia.

March 29, 2023

St. George’s Ribbon
A black and white photo of a small cottage captioned as “Monroe’s ‘Cabin Castle’—Ash Lawn, Charlottesville, Va.

February 27, 2023

The Ghost of Ash Lawn
A large oak tree with sprawling branches

January 30, 2023

Trees and the College Campus
A large brick building with a black roof overlooking a waterway.

December 28, 2022

The Philadelphia Lazaretto
A pile of 20-sided dice in a variety of colors on a wooden table.

November 29, 2022

The 20-Sided Die
Photo of brass telescope angled upwards to the right

October 27, 2022

The Short Telescope

Teaching Things: Toolkits

Teaching Things offers a range of entry points to bringing material culture into the classroom. In some lesson plans students consider objects alongside the visual and textual sources with which they are more familiar.

Access the Toolkits