Historians use many methods to analyze and interpret sources so they can understand past events from multiple perspectives. The process depends on the type of source, text, image, or oral testimony. This involves questioning its origin, purpose, and reliability.
Interpreting Pictures and Photos
Pictures and photographs are valuable sources because they capture the spirit of their time, from people's clothing and tools to their architecture and social behavior. However, interpreting them requires understanding the visual language of the period. In earlier times, for example, paintings often carried symbolic messages or moral lessons for audiences who could not read.
When analyzing an image, historians ask:
- Who created it, and in what historical context?
- What message or idea does it convey?
- What was the artist’s or commissioner’s goal?
Images should be viewed critically since framing, editing, or artistic choices can influence their meaning.
Analyzing Texts
Texts such as laws, letters, diaries, or manifestos were written by individuals living in specific social circumstances.
They reflect not only facts but also the author’s intentions and worldview.
Historians therefore ask:
- Who wrote the text and for whom?
- What was happening at the time?
- What message or argument does it convey?
- How trustworthy is it, and how does it compare with other accounts?
Older texts often require translation into modern language because meanings change over time.
Oral History
Oral history focuses on personal memories.
By interviewing eyewitnesses, historians gain insight into how individuals experienced events, for instance, life in East Germany before 1989.
Since these memories are shaped by personal emotions and later reflection, they must be compared with other evidence.
Source Criticism
Every source, whether written, visual, or oral, must be checked for authenticity and reliability.
Photos and texts can be manipulated or used for propaganda.
Therefore, historians examine:
- who created the source,
- why and when it was made,
- how it has been preserved or altered,
- and whether other sources confirm or contradict it.
Even something as simple as cropping a photograph can change its message.
Analyzing Caricatures
Caricatures combine art and commentary. They often mock political figures or events and must be studied in their historical context. A proper analysis looks at:
- the event or issue being criticized,
- the publication date and place,
- the cartoonist’s viewpoint,
- and the symbolic or metaphorical elements used.
For example, caricatures from 1848 showing King Friedrich Wilhelm IV highlight his dismissive attitude toward the National Assembly and the collapse of the revolution.