Sources Analysis

In this assignment you will be analyzing two sources together, Edward Savage’s painting “Liberty in the Form of the Goddess of Youth Giving Support to the Bald Eagle” (1796) and a homemade needlepoint version of the same painting c. 1800

Images as Primary Sources

Like all primary sources, images need to be carefully read and interpreted. You may not be able to give exact answers, but you should still try. Here’s the procedure I recommend you follow as you study the image:

1. Source. Develop a basic description. What do you see?

2. Observe. Does anything about this image immediately jump out at you? If so, what?

3. Contextualize. Do you see anything that reminds you of something you’ve seen before or learned in class? If so, what? Can you hypothesize (guess) anything about this image just by looking at it?

4. Corroborate. What questions do you still have about this image?

Your Assignment

In essay format, answer the following questions:

1. In addition to the female figure of Liberty, what other symbols of early America do you see in the painting?

2. Why do you think Savage depicts Liberty as a “goddess of youth”?

3. Why do you think this image was popular enough with Americans that people reproduced it in print and in other mediums, like needlepoint?

4. Does this image “speak” to you at all? Do you find it appealing, unappealing, boring, etc.? Would you hang it up in your house as so many Americans did in the early 1800s? Why or why not? Again, be as specific as possible. The more specific you are the higher grade you will earn.

Format and Requirements

This assignment should be at least 1 page single-spaced or two pages double-spaced in length.

Make sure the document has been proof-read for errors, and that it contains your name in the upper right-hand corner. It should be in font no larger than 12 point. Please write in complete sentences and follow standard grammatical rules.

Make sure the document is in Word format before uploading.

You may divide this assignment into two paragraphs, one for each section, if you like. Otherwise the whole assignment can be one paragraph. Use whichever approach makes the most sense to you.

Use essay format: Bullet points or lists are not acceptable; do not use subheadings; and you should not repeat the questions in the text unless you paraphrase them.