Option 1 (Family Paintings)

On page 362 the authors of the course textbook state that "although paintings are often admired and studied for artistic reasons alone, their value as historical documents should not be overlooked. In an age before the camera, paintings, sketches, and even pictures done in needlework captured Americans at different moments of life and memorialized their significant rituals. Paintings of American families in their homes ... reveal both an idealized conception of family life and the details of its reality. In addition, the paintings provide us with a sense of what the houses of middle and upper classes (who could afford to commission art) were like." With that in mind, look at the family paintings that appear on page 363 and write a paper that explains what the paintings reflect about American families and their homes during the early decades of the nineteenth century.

In completing your assignment:

1. Be sure to have a clear introduction and conclusion to your paper. At the end of your introduction, you should provide a thesis statement-a statement that gives the reader a specific sense of what your overall conclusion(s) in the paper will be. In this sentence, summarize what you will suggest is reflected in the family paintings or the personal diaries.
2. Base your paper around showing a series of points about what the family paintings or personal diaries reflect. Present your points clearly and explain them fully, with clear indication of how the family paintings or personal diaries show these points.
3. Provide specific details from the family paintings or personal diaries and clearly explain how these specific details illustrate your points. Do not simply rely on the discussion of the family paintings or personal diaries that is offered in the textbook. While you may refer to the points in the textbook or use them as a starting point, your paper must be built upon your own observations and the conclusions that you draw from those observations. You are being asked for this assignment to develop your own interpretations from what you see when you look at the family paintings or personal diaries. You will not be graded on whether your interpretation is "correct" or not. Rather, you will be graded on how well you state what is reflected in the family paintings or personal diaries, how well you explain how these things are reflected in the family paintings or personal diaries, and how well you show what specifically about the family paintings or personal diaries provides the basis for your conclusions. 
4. If you do use the textbook, be sure to cite it appropriately. See Step 7 of the "General Instructions for Papers" in this lesson for directions on how to cite the textbook properly. 
5. Create a fitting, descriptive title for your paper. You can summarize the content to follow in the title or you can devise a clever title that is connected to what is discussed in the body of your paper.

Suggested Paper Length: Two to three word-processed pages, double-spaced.