The photo essay assignment concerned me at first, as I wasn’t sure what topic I should choose. I was worried that I would struggle to find sufficient pictures for any given topic. However, once I decided to focus on the five organizers of the First Women’s Convention in Seneca Falls, it turned out to be easier than I expected.
I initially began my search in the Library of Congress prints and photographs archive, but wasn’t able to find much except for a few pictures of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. I next went to the National Parks Service website as I knew that the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls is a national park. This website turned out to be my greatest resource as it had information on the event, the five women and a few pictures of some of the women. For the lesser known of the five women, I had to go a bit further to find photographs. I started by doing a google image search and was able to find good pictures right away. I was able to use photos from the Cayuga Museum, and a professor’s webpage at Pierce College. I also used Wikipedia for a few of the pictures. I was pleasantly surprised at the ease with which I was able to quickly locate photos of all of the women. I had never heard of Martha Wright, Mary Ann M’Clintock or Jane Hunt so I initially thought that it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to find photos of them, particularly after I had had no luck with the Library of Congress.
My biggest concern with the assignment was the issue of copyright. While the National Parks Service seems to be clear that all information on the site is considered in the public domain, it was less clear on the other sites. On both the Cayuga website and the Pierce College website, I could not find any information on copyright. I used them under the assumption that because they were government and education websites that what was posted was most likely in the public domain and acceptable to use for educational purposes. The issue of copyright, however, is daunting for me as I struggle to even understand the copyright or “public domain” explanations on the websites. The legal terminology is lost on me and I feel as though it would be easy for me to misread or misinterpret the availability of the photos.
While it is amazing how much information and how many photos are available on the web, the issue of copyright is one that becomes very hard to navigate. It has become so easy to copy and reuse photos that it seems that the use of copyrighted photographs becomes so easy that one can easily forget that what they are using is, in fact, “illegal.” This assignment has opened me up to the issue of using photos from the Internet and the issues, both legal and ethical, which arise from that use.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
The First National Women's Convention: Photo Essay
The following five women were the organizing force behind the First Women's Rights Convention, held on July 19th and 20th, 1848 in Seneca Falls, NY. As it was the first of such meetings, it is considered the impetus for the feminist movement in the United States. Drafting a Declaration of Sentiments, which articulated the rights women should be granted based on the Declaration of Independence, these five women brought together women and men to discuss and debate how to begin to fight for the equal rights of women. Each of these women--Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Martha Wright, Mary Ann M'Clintock and Jane Hunt--led a life dedicated to the cause.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia, Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Born in 1815, and seen as the "driving force" behind the Women's Rights Convention in 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton was an important leader of the women's rights movement in the United States. She drafted and read the Declaration of Sentiments at the Seneca Falls Convention. Of the five women who organized the Convention, she was the only non-Quaker. Following the event at Seneca Falls, Stanton continued her work for the remainder of her life. She met Susan B. Anthony in 1851 and the two became fast friends and worked closely together. Stanton co-authored the Declaration of Rights of the Women of the United States in 1876.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia, Lucretia Mott
Lucretia Mott was born in 1793 and from a young age was inspired to end the inequalities of both women and African Americans. Living in Philadelphia, she, along with Mary Ann M'Clintock, was a founder of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society, in 1833. Mott is considered, along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, as leading the organization of women for the Women's Rights Convention in 1848 and drafting the Declaration of Sentiments. Mott had become acquainted with Elizabeth Cady Stanton in London in 1840 at the World Anti-Slavery Convention. She made equal rights her life's work, and in 1866 became the first president of the American Equal Rights Association.
Photo Credit: Cayuga Museum and Historian’s Office
Lesser known than her sister, Lucretia Mott, Martha Wright lived just ten miles outside of Seneca Falls in Auburn, NY. She attended the meetings in Seneca Falls with her sister and continued to participate in numerous Women’s Conventions throughout the late 1800’s. Also an ardent abolitionist, Wright’s home was a used as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Photo Credit: Pierce College, website of Professor Kathy Holland
Also a Quaker, Mary Ann M'Clintock moved to Waterloo, NY, from Philadelphia, PA, in 1836. M'Clintock had met Elizabeth Cady Stanton in Philadelphia, as they were both members of the Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society. In July of 1848, the M'Clintock house was the site for a second meeting of women (7/16/1848) held prior to the convention. It was at this meeting that the Declaration of Sentiments was drafted.
Photo Credit: National Parks Service, biographies
Jane Hunt's house was where Lucretia Mott came when she arrived in town on July 9, 1848. It was in Jane's house that the women decided to plan a meeting and drafted the notice to call women to the "convention." The Hunt House is located just outside of Waterloo, NY. A Quaker, Jane was born in 1812 in Philadelphia. She married Richard Hunt, the wealthiest man in Seneca County.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia, Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Born in 1815, and seen as the "driving force" behind the Women's Rights Convention in 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton was an important leader of the women's rights movement in the United States. She drafted and read the Declaration of Sentiments at the Seneca Falls Convention. Of the five women who organized the Convention, she was the only non-Quaker. Following the event at Seneca Falls, Stanton continued her work for the remainder of her life. She met Susan B. Anthony in 1851 and the two became fast friends and worked closely together. Stanton co-authored the Declaration of Rights of the Women of the United States in 1876.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia, Lucretia Mott
Lucretia Mott was born in 1793 and from a young age was inspired to end the inequalities of both women and African Americans. Living in Philadelphia, she, along with Mary Ann M'Clintock, was a founder of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society, in 1833. Mott is considered, along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, as leading the organization of women for the Women's Rights Convention in 1848 and drafting the Declaration of Sentiments. Mott had become acquainted with Elizabeth Cady Stanton in London in 1840 at the World Anti-Slavery Convention. She made equal rights her life's work, and in 1866 became the first president of the American Equal Rights Association.
Photo Credit: Cayuga Museum and Historian’s Office
Lesser known than her sister, Lucretia Mott, Martha Wright lived just ten miles outside of Seneca Falls in Auburn, NY. She attended the meetings in Seneca Falls with her sister and continued to participate in numerous Women’s Conventions throughout the late 1800’s. Also an ardent abolitionist, Wright’s home was a used as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Photo Credit: Pierce College, website of Professor Kathy Holland
Also a Quaker, Mary Ann M'Clintock moved to Waterloo, NY, from Philadelphia, PA, in 1836. M'Clintock had met Elizabeth Cady Stanton in Philadelphia, as they were both members of the Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society. In July of 1848, the M'Clintock house was the site for a second meeting of women (7/16/1848) held prior to the convention. It was at this meeting that the Declaration of Sentiments was drafted.
Photo Credit: National Parks Service, biographies
Jane Hunt's house was where Lucretia Mott came when she arrived in town on July 9, 1848. It was in Jane's house that the women decided to plan a meeting and drafted the notice to call women to the "convention." The Hunt House is located just outside of Waterloo, NY. A Quaker, Jane was born in 1812 in Philadelphia. She married Richard Hunt, the wealthiest man in Seneca County.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Website Review: The National Museum of the American Indian
The website for the National Museum of the American Indian is first and foremost an advertisement for the museum itself. Its primary mission and purpose is to attract visitors to the museum, located on the National Mall, as well as its sister museum, located in New York City, and the research center, located in Maryland. When you first enter the site, the eye is immediately drawn to a moving image of the back of a beautiful beaded dress against a sharp black background. It most be noted, however, then when viewing this website on a computer other than my own, this image was not available because the computer was not equipped to view flash. This is a major detriment to anyone who cannot view this image as it is not only striking and inviting, but also showcases the museum's newest exhibit called Identity by Design.
When able to see this image, however, the main page of the site is extremely pleasing to the eye. The main background is yellow, and the inset box where all the information is, is black. The main page has multiple navigation bars. The main navigation bar—red with white writing—is located across the center of the page. There are also navigation bars at the top right and bottom right. The main page also highlights four upcoming events and the newest addition to the site—podcasts.
The site offers a search function that is easily located on the first page and all subsequent pages as you navigate throughout the site. There is also a site map. The site map is excellent as it lays out all of the sections and subsections of the site. Each section title is in a different color and it is against a simple white background keeping it clear and easy to read.
The main red navigation bar leads visitors to sections titled Visitor Information, Exhibitions, Events, Outreach, Education, Collections and Membership and Giving. When you click on any of these links the main navigation bar moves to the top of the page and a second navigation bar, listing subsections, appears to the left. Each page has a similar layout and color scheme, maintaining a continuity and cohesion for the site. In the upper left hand corner there is a box where the name of the museum is always located. The background image in this area changes as you navigate to different pages. This is also a way to return to the homepage, but this function is not explicitly noted. The only way you’d know that it allows you to easily return to the homepage is if you run the mouse over it and see that the cursor changes.
The exhibitions section of the website enables visitors to get information on current exhibits at all of the museums locations, information on past exhibits and links to all available online exhibits. The site offers 25 online exhibits, and each connects you to a new page and essentially a new website. Many of these online exhibits were available to view in both Spanish and English, which helps maintain the integrity of the museum as collection of Native groups of all of North America. Many of the online exhibits have virtual tours, pictures of the collection and an abundance of information on a number of varying topics.
Another highlight of the website was the Education section. One of the best subsections was a link for teachers to obtain education publications. Teachers could view a picture of the publication, a brief summary of its content and a link to download the .pdf file. It also provided the link to the Smithsonian Education website.
The website in general is very clear, concise and extremely user friendly. The navigation bars are easy to locate, and it is not difficult to find a variety of information on the museum and its collections. The layout is logical as are the navigation headings. The color scheme throughout the website stays within a family of rich colors, reminiscent of both nature and Native American culture. The colors primarily used are yellow, gold, purple, red and green. Black is often used as background for images making them "pop." It is a truly “pretty” website. For all of its beauty, however, it is still relatively simple in design and does not try to "over do" it. Images are used to support each section, but they are not overused or distracting. Rather, they complement each section and represent the museum's collection well. The pages are clean and clear. The sections of prose are well written and concise. Anytime there is information of more than two or three lines, the text is black on a white background. Clearly the designers of this website have taken into consideration the importance of easy readability when dealing with larger amounts of text.
Aside from the disappointing discovery that not all computers can see the image on the home page, there are a few other elements that the website lacks. They are, however, more having to do with the site's mission and purpose rather than a fault of design. One of these is that the site does not offer much in the way of scholarship. The mission of the site is not to be a place for research, but rather a resource for visitors to the museum, which accounts for this absence. While the online exhibits may offer some information that could be used for research purposes, there are no areas where visitors can find more detailed information on the collection itself.
Another element noticeably lacking from the site are “kid friendly” features. There are no sections for games or obvious links to information about what in the museum would be best for children. There is information in the education section for family programs and offers a family guide to the museum, however, if a younger person were to come to the website, there is nothing to immediately engage his or her interest.
The site does offer new technology, however, as Podcasts are now being offered. The podcasting page offers links to where you can subscribe for the podcast and also gives a brief overview of what each of the different podcasts offers. There are three podcasts; one has commentaries from Native peoples, one offers musical performances and the third contains video reports. This is the one area where visitors would be able to get more detailed understanding and history of Native American culture without having to leave their homes.
Overall, this is an excellent website, and there is little negative that can be said about it. It is not, however, a website I would recommend for those seeking research sources for Native American culture. It provides information on how to contact the research arm of the museum, which is located in Maryland, but beyond that there is little information to be found online. For anyone who wants to view a well constructed, clear and effective website it would be a model example. I also believe that the color, clarity and content of the web page serves as an effective advertisement to draw visitors to the museum. The website conveys the museum as a beautiful and dynamic place to learn about the history of Native Americans in North America and evokes a simple and “earthy” feel, consistent with the theme of the museum itself.
When able to see this image, however, the main page of the site is extremely pleasing to the eye. The main background is yellow, and the inset box where all the information is, is black. The main page has multiple navigation bars. The main navigation bar—red with white writing—is located across the center of the page. There are also navigation bars at the top right and bottom right. The main page also highlights four upcoming events and the newest addition to the site—podcasts.
The site offers a search function that is easily located on the first page and all subsequent pages as you navigate throughout the site. There is also a site map. The site map is excellent as it lays out all of the sections and subsections of the site. Each section title is in a different color and it is against a simple white background keeping it clear and easy to read.
The main red navigation bar leads visitors to sections titled Visitor Information, Exhibitions, Events, Outreach, Education, Collections and Membership and Giving. When you click on any of these links the main navigation bar moves to the top of the page and a second navigation bar, listing subsections, appears to the left. Each page has a similar layout and color scheme, maintaining a continuity and cohesion for the site. In the upper left hand corner there is a box where the name of the museum is always located. The background image in this area changes as you navigate to different pages. This is also a way to return to the homepage, but this function is not explicitly noted. The only way you’d know that it allows you to easily return to the homepage is if you run the mouse over it and see that the cursor changes.
The exhibitions section of the website enables visitors to get information on current exhibits at all of the museums locations, information on past exhibits and links to all available online exhibits. The site offers 25 online exhibits, and each connects you to a new page and essentially a new website. Many of these online exhibits were available to view in both Spanish and English, which helps maintain the integrity of the museum as collection of Native groups of all of North America. Many of the online exhibits have virtual tours, pictures of the collection and an abundance of information on a number of varying topics.
Another highlight of the website was the Education section. One of the best subsections was a link for teachers to obtain education publications. Teachers could view a picture of the publication, a brief summary of its content and a link to download the .pdf file. It also provided the link to the Smithsonian Education website.
The website in general is very clear, concise and extremely user friendly. The navigation bars are easy to locate, and it is not difficult to find a variety of information on the museum and its collections. The layout is logical as are the navigation headings. The color scheme throughout the website stays within a family of rich colors, reminiscent of both nature and Native American culture. The colors primarily used are yellow, gold, purple, red and green. Black is often used as background for images making them "pop." It is a truly “pretty” website. For all of its beauty, however, it is still relatively simple in design and does not try to "over do" it. Images are used to support each section, but they are not overused or distracting. Rather, they complement each section and represent the museum's collection well. The pages are clean and clear. The sections of prose are well written and concise. Anytime there is information of more than two or three lines, the text is black on a white background. Clearly the designers of this website have taken into consideration the importance of easy readability when dealing with larger amounts of text.
Aside from the disappointing discovery that not all computers can see the image on the home page, there are a few other elements that the website lacks. They are, however, more having to do with the site's mission and purpose rather than a fault of design. One of these is that the site does not offer much in the way of scholarship. The mission of the site is not to be a place for research, but rather a resource for visitors to the museum, which accounts for this absence. While the online exhibits may offer some information that could be used for research purposes, there are no areas where visitors can find more detailed information on the collection itself.
Another element noticeably lacking from the site are “kid friendly” features. There are no sections for games or obvious links to information about what in the museum would be best for children. There is information in the education section for family programs and offers a family guide to the museum, however, if a younger person were to come to the website, there is nothing to immediately engage his or her interest.
The site does offer new technology, however, as Podcasts are now being offered. The podcasting page offers links to where you can subscribe for the podcast and also gives a brief overview of what each of the different podcasts offers. There are three podcasts; one has commentaries from Native peoples, one offers musical performances and the third contains video reports. This is the one area where visitors would be able to get more detailed understanding and history of Native American culture without having to leave their homes.
Overall, this is an excellent website, and there is little negative that can be said about it. It is not, however, a website I would recommend for those seeking research sources for Native American culture. It provides information on how to contact the research arm of the museum, which is located in Maryland, but beyond that there is little information to be found online. For anyone who wants to view a well constructed, clear and effective website it would be a model example. I also believe that the color, clarity and content of the web page serves as an effective advertisement to draw visitors to the museum. The website conveys the museum as a beautiful and dynamic place to learn about the history of Native Americans in North America and evokes a simple and “earthy” feel, consistent with the theme of the museum itself.
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