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COLUMBIA: Spring 2001; Vol. 15, No. 1

Tools of the History Trade

The Tools of the History Trade are sources of historical evidence. Each artifact, image, map, book or periodical, personal account, recording and ephemeral item is a piece to the puzzle of the past. Learning to use these puzzle pieces and to find the relationships between them is the essence of historical inquiry. In short, the tools are as follows:

Artifacts - three-dimensional objects made or used by humans. They can be handmade or manufactured; representative of a place, a people, or a particular industry.

Ephemera - printed items, usually made of paper, that are only used for a short period of time. Concert posters, movie tickets, ferry schedules, catalogs and even junk mail all fit the ephemera category.

Images - drawings, paintings, photographs. Images provide visual insight to past events. When using images as historical evidence, one must evaluate the artist's intent, cultural and educational background, and medium. Prior to the invention of photography, drawings and paintings provided the only visual record of past events. Today, photography is the most popular choice for recording events as they happen.

Maps - an important means of evaluating change over time of places across the globe. Maps reflect human knowledge of a place-its resources and characteristics as they have been known in different time periods. Maps come in many forms: political boundary maps, aeronautical charts, and topographical maps are a few. The kinds of maps used and developed in different time periods can provide clues to determining the trends, technologies and beliefs of the past.

People - Oral histories, letters, memoirs, diaries, journals and expert advice all fall within the People tool. Many times, the initial investigation of an object, event, person or time period begins by asking someone you know who might have special knowledge about a particular subject.

Books & Periodicals - Perhaps one of the most commonly used sources of historical evidence, books and periodicals lead us on a journey through the printed word. As bibliography bloodhounds, we can follow a trail from a book's list of resources to magazine and newspaper articles and on to primary source documents such as letters or journals. While a book may cover a topic in a more permanent and definitive way, magazines and newspapers provide immediate and focused glimpses of current and historic issues and events.

Electronic Media - Encompassing audio recordings, film, video and the Internet, electronic media provides a unique view into the past. Film, video and audio recordings allow "instant replays" of past events, the viewing of which would otherwise be impossible. The Internet has become an important research tool for investigating everything from manufacturers to trademarks and place names.

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