How to Use the Images

Table of
Contents

Photo 4: Workers repairing the canal, c. 1850s.

Photo 5: Wash day on the canal, date unknown.

Photo 6: Canal boat family at Lock 37, c. 1880s.

Questions for Photos 4-6

1. Pretend you are a historical researcher that just uncovered a group of previously unknown photos. Examine Photos 4-6 very closely, reading them as you would a document. Write down anything you can learn from the photos. If these photos were the only evidence remaining of a period in history, what could they tell us? For example, what does the clothing of the people tell us about when the photo was taken? How are the boats constructed? What kind of work are the men and women engaged in? Have students speculate about the people’s daily lives, and the overall tone or mood of the photos.

* The photos on this screen have a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a high quality version of Photo 4, Photo 5, and Photo 6, but be aware that each file will take as much as 32 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.