EYEWITNESSING/ THE USES OG IMAGES AS HISTORICAL EVIDENCE

Eyewitnessing evaluates the place of images among other kinds of historical evidence. By reviewing the many varieties of images by r egion, period and medium, and looking at the pragmatic uses of images (e.g. the Bayeux Tapestry, an engraving of a printing press, a reconstruction of a building), Peter Burke sheds light on our assumption that these practical uses are 'reflections' of specific hi storical meanings and influences. He also shows how this assumption can be problematic. Traditional art historians have depended on two types...[Read more]