Fiducia TogetherHistorical sources: cartoons and photographs
Reading images as evidence. Different skills from reading text.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Visual sources include cartoons, posters, photographs and paintings, each with conventions and a purpose.
Where it applies
GCSE and A Level history, and media studies.
How it works
A cartoon uses symbols, caricature and captions and takes a position — it is an argument, not a record. A photograph looks objective and is framed, posed or selected by somebody.
How to use it in your work
Describe the detail, then interpret it, then use provenance. All three, in that order.
For cartoons, identify the symbols and say what each represents before saying what the cartoonist thinks.
For photographs, ask what is outside the frame and who chose to take it.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification and mark scheme.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The History Song The GCSE history topics, set to music.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.