Art History Timelines are difficult to find, that are not trivial or incomplete. This one is different,and from an excellent source the Metropolitan Museum of Art, so they know a thing or two….

The timeline has a range of capabilities and is interactive (see screenshot below. It’s good for giving an overview visually to the historic period, in this example Great Britain and Ireland 1800-1900, the content is detailed enough without having to read a book.

• The narrative gives an overview to the period of the timeline
• Key events are expanded on on the 2nd tab
• Artworks are catalogued that relate to the period on the third
• Other related content and topics are referenced on the final tab.
• You can choose an image and explore or glide along the timeline and the content is of a good quality as one of the foremost art museums in the world it should be !

We will be exploring cultural pastiches and collages as a supplement by which to better understand the times in which your family local or social history is set in forthcoming posts,resources and reviews.

The visual arts are a good mirror by which to grasp what was in vogue, what was leading edge and how that might have impacted on the wider popular culture of the time.

The a ‘Picture paints a thousand words’ still holds true and we are seeking sources for Intriguing History that provide archive footage, ephemera and other visual artefacts because of the power of those images in showing us more of what was happening at a given point in time.

Take now the almost ‘gauche’ attitude of Damien Hirst, contrast it with David Hockney and the eternal question ‘but is it art’ seems relevant in every age. what images and ephemera do you have that give a visual clue? Dig them out scan them, and Possibly use an Intriguing Connections site to start to curate your own visual history. Subjects can be places, people and the objects and artefacts that have survived the test of time. It all enriches our understanding and the narrative we can share with others.

What was the nature of the work and the characters that populated and led the arts and craft community relevant to your family local or social history project?