As printing technologies improved in the 19th century, schoolbooks, such as this geography text, increasingly contained engraved illustrations to engage readers. Although these illustrations were often inaccurate or stereotypic they provided students with visual images of unfamiliar peoples such as enslaved Africans in Southern States and Native Americans “out west”. These books were a real “window to the world” for children in a time before TV, radio, or movies, and with access to few magazines or newspapers. Ideas and images absorbed from these books would color the thoughts and beliefs of the children who studied them.
Olney, Jesse. A Practical System of Modern Geography. Robinson, Pratt and Company, 1841. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l99-115/. Accessed on November 24, 2024.
Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.