Primary Sources
Primary sources are original documents, photographs, records, or any artifact created at the time of an event. They can help us understand how or why an event occurred. Primary sources can also teach us what life was like or how people thought at the time of the event.
A wooden bowl made by a Pioneer woman is an example of a primary source. It might tell us about the types of tools people used for cooking at the time.
Another example of a primary source is a newspaper advertisement for a town festival. It could teach us about the types of the activities in which the town's people participated.
This photographic portrait of Charles Doty from 1900 is a primary source. Source: Wisconsin Historical Society. WHi-130635.
Take Notes
Explain in one or two sentences why this photograph is a primary source. Then write one thing someone might learn from it.
