Conference 2006: Visualizing the Past

Sponsored by the Center for Historic American Visual Culture
at the American Antiquarian Society

and the

New England History Teachers' Association

Friday, Oct. 13, 2006
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Location: The American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, MA

Pre-twentieth century history is dominated by the study of words on paper. Yet much of this period is also richly documented by visual images. Whether illustrations found in books, periodicals, prints or paintings, these visual sources can provide students with tremendous empirical data and a profound emotional understanding of the past. This one-day conference will afford a rich and varied examination of the field of visual culture and practical applications for using images and maps with student populations of all levels.

This is the first program sponsored by the Center for Historic American Visual Culture (CHAVIC) at the American Antiquarian Society (AAS). CHAVIC seeks to provide opportunities for educators to learn about American visual culture and resources, promote the awareness of AAS collections, and stimulate research and intellectual inquiry into American visual materials. This new center will accomplish these goals by offering fellowships, exhibitions, workshops and seminars, conferences, and improved access to AAS collections.

The New England History Teachers Association is the oldest history teaching organization in the country having been founded in 1897. Composed of educators and students at all levels it provides professional development opportunities, publishes a biannual newsletter, The New England Journal of History, and presents the Hicks-Kennedy, Kidger, and Vera and Andrew J. Laska awards annually.

Plenary Speakers

Louis P. Masur is the William R. Kenan Professor of American Institutions and Values at Trinity College. A specialist in American cultural history, he is the author or editor of six books, including Rites of Execution: Capital Punishment and the Transformation of American Culture, 1776-1865; 1831: Year of Eclipse; and Autumn Glory: Baseball’s First World Series. He also serves as editor of Reviews in American History, a quarterly journal of essay-length reviews of works in American history and culture, and has written essays and reviews for the Chronicle of Higher Education, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the Washington Post Book World. His seminal essay, "‛Pictures Have Now Become a Necessity’: The Use of Images in American History Textbooks" appeared in the March, 1998 issue of the Journal of American History.

Patricia Johnston is a professor of art at Salem State College. She is the author of Real Fantasies: Edward Steichen's Advertising Photography, and editor of Seeing High & Low, Representing Social Conflict in American Visual Culture. Additionally, her articles and reviews of photography and contemporary art have appeared in Afterimage, Art New England, Views, Exposure, Technology and Culture, and others. She has just completed a National Endowment for the Humanities summer institute for teachers at Salem State on the visual culture of Colonial New England.

View the complete program and registration form as a pdf file.