The First Opium War – Lesson 01
Handout 01-A | Printer-friendly PDF file
Image Analysis Questions
Use these questions as guides to draw information from each image in your collection.
1. Generate a list of at least 10 adjectives and adverbs to describe the process of opium production as shown in your set of images.
2 Consider who is pictured in the images by applying the following questions:
A. Are the people British, Indian, or both?
B. What are they doing? What are their roles or jobs?
C. How do the people interact with each other, if at all?
D. What does the people’s clothing say about them and their work?
E. What do their activity and expressions say about them and their work?
3. What else is pictured in the image?
4. How are the people pictured in relation to other objects or structures in the images?
5. What is your impression about this aspect of opium production after examining the image? Describe in 2-3 sentences how you feel or what you think about opium production based on the collection.
6. Write 4 statements that convey what you know or think is true about opium production in India in the 19th century.
7. Considering the image collection together, what is your overall impression of opium production in mid-19th century India based on your collection of images? Do you think that you were looking at images created by a British eyewitness or an Indian eyewitness? Why?
8. If one of or several images from this artist’s series was in your textbook, what message would you take away about opium trade?
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