An Examination of Visual Primary and Secondary Sources The Battle of Britain An Examination of Visual Primary and Secondary Sources

PRIMARY vs. SECONDARY PRIMARY SECONDARY A primary source is one which is created AT the time VISUAL: photo, a propaganda poster, a political cartoon, diagram, chart, etc. WRITTEN: news article, a letter or diary entry. A secondary source is one which is created AFTER the event, and usually provides some element of interpretation of the event.

Examining Visual Primary Sources What KIND is it? Map? Political Cartoon? Propaganda Poster? Photo? Diagram? What do you see? Record the details What do you learn about the events? the people? the circumstances? What questions arise?

PRIMARY WRITTEN: What do the headlines and lead paragraphs tell you?

SECONDARY VISUAL SOURCES When time has passed, people often create various art forms to reflect their view of what has happened; the art is a reflection not only of the event or events, but also of their “world view”, of their values—how they “see” the events. Look at the following and answer the following: What historically accurate details/circumstances of the Battle of Britain are captured? How does the person’s viewpoint get expressed? What effect do you think the artist wanted to have upon the viewer?