The time from the 1880s to 1914 was often called the fin de siecle--the French equivalent of "turn of the century."  It was an explosive, revolutionary time in world culture.  Today's high school students are entering into the twentieth century's fin de siecle, which is also a revolutionary time in our culture.  The parallels between these two time periods can show students that patterns exist throughout history.  Photographs from the American Memory Collections of the Library of Congress will initiate discussion and allow students to draw conclusions about the end of the nineteenth century.  They will then identify or create a related visual from the 1990's.  Projects will demonstrate their understanding of the connections between the 1890s and Y2K. 

Objectives

• practice visual literacy using photographs from the 1890s.
• use electronic equipment to access American Memory sources.
• draw conclusions based on observation of primary sources and prior knowledge of the literature from that time period.
• synthesize these conclusions by choosing or creating an comparable modern picture.
• demonstrate their understanding of the connections between these two time periods.
• recognize the existence of historical and cultural patterns.

Time Required

Recommended Grade Level

Curriculum Fit

Resources Used

• Touring Turn of the Century America:  Detroit Publishing Company
• Northern Great Plains: 1880-1920
• Around the World in the 1890s: Photos from World's Transportation Commission 1894-1896
• Gilbert, Sandra M. and Susan Gubar.  "Turn-of-the-Century Literature."  The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women.  Eds. Gilbert and Gubar.  New York:  W.W. Norton Company, 1985.  948-969.

Procedure

1. After reading a piece of literature from the 1880s to 1914, present a picture from the AM Collection to the class.  (For a suggested picture, look at Boys with Dog Cart.)    Students should jot down their objective and subjective observations about the picture and a list of questions they have about the picture.  After having the class share their observations and questions, lead a discussion about how the picture shows social culture of this time period and how the picture relates to the literature they've read.  This discussion should include where to go to find the answers to questions.
2. Students will generate a list of topics that the piece of literature suggests about the society and culture of that time.  These topics might include toys, jobs or festivals. (The AMF team will have already identified five topics and book marked pictures representing each category.  If a student suggests an intriguing topic that is not already linked to the AM Collection, an initial link could be done that night or that student could be teamed with a librarian to find unique pictures on that topic.)
3. In the library, the AMF team will present a mini lesson introducing the AM Collection:  how to access the book marked pictures, enlarge them, and use the image magnifier.  In pairs or individually, students will look at all of the book marked pictures under the five categories.  They will choose one picture to work with.  Using a worksheet, they will record their observations and interpretations.  Their conclusions will reflect their understanding of the time period based on this picture.  They will also print a copy of this picture.  Students will then compare their responses with other pairs of students.
4. Before going on to the 20th century, students will read and discuss the essay, "Turn-of -the-Century Literature" by Gilbert and Gubar.   In small groups, students will  make a chart that identifies the trends of  last century's  fin de siecle and creates parallels with the trends of the 1990s.
5. For the culminating assignment, students will chose or create a  picture representing a similar trend that parallels the 1890s picture from the AM Collection that they interpreted in the first part of the assignment.  They may obtain this new picture by doing an online search, cutting or photocopying from a magazine, creating an original piece of art, or staging an original photograph using either a digital or film camera.  They will then complete a worksheet interpreting their own picture (see sample).
6. On the front of the finished product, students will mount both pictures, indicate the bibliographic source of each, create a title for the poster, and add their names.  On the back, they will paste a word processed response based on  the following prompt:

 

What does each picture show about its time period?  What similar trends do the pictures imply about both time periods?  Explain with specific references to your pictures.

 

Evaluation and Extension

Extensions
Possible extension activities:

1. Students could brainstorm a list of cultural artifacts that a 21st century curator for the AM Collection might include to represent the 1990s.  Discussion might cover:  Why preserve this artifact?  What does it show about our culture?  What is the curator's job?  What should be preserved?  Why are items chosen?   These topics could generate full research projects, use of community resources such as the local historical society, or encourage further online searches or electronic correspondence with major museum curators.
2. Students could identify an important cultural artifact from the 1990s and locate a similar artifact from the 1890s.   Their responses could take the form of activities such as a small group discussions,  posters similar to the above project, or a role playing a scenario where archaeologists are trying to convince a museum curator to purchase this artifact.
3. Students could make a videotape or perform a live skit showing a commentator in 2099 interviewing an archaeologist who has just unearthed the remains of your high school which has been buried since Y2K.
4. Students could create, build, photograph or draw an artifact from 2099 and explain to the class how that artifact will be significant to the society of the late twenty-first century.

Barbara Olic-Hamilton  bolicham@micron.net
Liz Horn                       mhorn@micron.net

July 30, 1998