Using object biographies to reveal how our pasts are interconnected

Abstract

This teaching strategy encourages students to become familiar with “hidden” and interconnected histories through the analysis of objects showcased in museums – who created them, who owned them, and where they were used and kept. It underlines the internationality of state histories by confronting them with the transnationality of museum objects. We use the Lacerda's chromograph as an example of the strategy in action.