Depictions of the William Blount Mansion: Photograph vs. Drawing

Students will compare and contrast photographs and drawings of the same subject. Students will identify cultural factors that influence the meaning of the works of art of the same subject, Blount Mansion in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Weblink address (URL):

Home Page- source

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives:

Analyze photographs, paintings, and architectural drawings
Understand how cultural factors as well as medium influences the meaning of a work of art

Essential and guiding questions:

What can photographs show about an object that paintings cannot? How are paintings and drawings successful at showing emotion in works of art?

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level:

Applying

Extension suggestions:

Find out more about the William Blount Mansion, the Historic American Buildings Survey, artist Joseph Delaney, and the Harlem Renaissance:

William Blount Mansion in Knoxville, Tennessee
Additional Tennessee resources available through the Historic American Buildings Survey
Teacher’s Guide to The Harlem Renaissance
Take a field trip to the William Blount Mansion in Knoxville, so that students can compare the drawings and photographs to the current site.

Photographs can be used to document information as well as create drama in a photographic portrait. Encourage students to compare the Historic American Buildings Survey images from this lesson plan to more dramatic photographic portraits by Carl Van Vechten. How are these styles of photography different?

Helpful Hints

Materials and Resources:

(Photograph) 1. Historic American Buildings Survey, R.J. Crisco, Photographer April 23, 1934 NORTHWEST VIEW, MAIN ENTRANCE. - William Blount Mansion, State Street & Hill Avenue, Knoxville, Knox County, TN
(Photograph) 2. Historic American Buildings Survey, R.J. Crisco, Photographer April 23, 1934 NORTH ELEVATION, MAIN ENTRANCE - William Blount Mansion, State Street & Hill Avenue, Knoxville, Knox County, TN
(Drawing) HABS TENN,47-KNOVI,1- (sheet 2 of 7) - William Blount Mansion, State Street & Hill Avenue, Knoxville, Knox County, TN
Blount Mansion, Joseph Delaney. Trials and Triumphs: Tennesseans Search for Citizenship, Community, and Opportunity.
Self Portrait, Joseph Delaney. Trials and Triumphs: Tennesseans Search for Citizenship, Community, and Opportunity.