Creator: Smithsonian | visit site
Grade Range: 6 - 11
Spice up a history class and generate discussion with cartoons taken from the Smithsonian Institution’s American Art/Portrait Gallery Library Collection. Images, dating from 1862 to 1955, reflect the power and popularity of this medium throughout American history. Can be browsed by title, artist, or subject.
In the Classroom
Art and History teachers will love this online collection of comic drawings houses by the Smithsonian. In a class discussion of validity of sources select a few images that were created to reflect on society or satire it. (We recommend Hogarth’s engravings if your class is mature enough) Share the images on the interactive whiteboard or projector with the class. Start a discussion as to what students think the meaning and purpose of the image is. Do a few as a class and have students complete the rest of the images on their own. Have students write up a few quick sentences on the remaining images. Teachers can either finish the activity there or have students share their answers later in a discussion.
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