Start with the Basics
The list of questions presented below is based on the model developed by E. McClung Fleming of the Winterthur Museum in Delaware suggesting a systematic approach to asking questions of artifacts. Do not worry if you cannot answer all the questions. They are only a preliminary list to help you begin your examination. This is a process of discovery and you will continually revisit some of the questions as well as add your own. Make sure to use all your senses when evaluating an object. Paying attention to how an item feels, smells, or sounds might uncover hidden clues that might not be noticed by a visual examination alone.

History
• Where and when was the artifact made?
• Who made the item?
• For whom was the item made?
• Why was the object made?
• What is the artifact’s function?
• Has ownership of the item changed over time? If so, how?

Material
• What is the artifact made of? (Wood, metal, fiber, ceramic, stone, glass, etc.)
• Were the materials used to produce it local or imported?
• Does the type of material suggest a particular use?

Construction
• How is the object put together?
• What are the dimensions and weight of the artifact?
• Is there an indication of special techniques used for construction?
• How are the parts organized?
• Does the object stand on its own or is it part of a larger item?
• Are there any tool marks or other evidence of construction techniques?
• Is the artifact made by hand or by machine?
• It is sophisticated or rustic in its construction?

Design
• What is the object’s structure and form?
• Does the artifact represent a particular style?
• What kind of ornamentation does the item have?
• Are there any distinguishing marks that can help with identification?
• Does the object’s ornamentation suggest a particular use?

Function
• Does the artifact’s design suggest an ornamental, utilitarian, or entertainment use? 
• What is its intended use?
• Has its intended use changed over time? If so, how?
• Does the object represent the culture in which is was made? If so, how?

Next Look for Details
With an initial list of preliminary answers, the challenge of researching the artifact in more detail begins. There are a few things to keep in mind during your interpretation:

• Do not examine the object in isolation of its culture. Conclusions about what the item represents could be skewed if interpreted separate from the culture that produced it.

• A single object should not represent a larger segment of a culture than it actually does. One item should not be used to generalize how an object was used and what culture created it.

• View an object within the time period it was created. Bringing modern viewpoints and interpretations to an eighteenth-century artifact will alter your analysis.

• Make sure to evaluate both the functional and aesthetic elements of an object. Do not be so focused on one element as to forget the significance of the other.

Because it is often difficult, if not impossible, to find supporting documents for your specific artifact, you will have to broaden your research scope. Just as secondary sources are helpful in providing topic overviews, look to books, articles, and museum websites that discuss your general area of interest. Learn what you can by examining articles about similar objects, production trends during a similar time period, social or cultural trends during an era, or the particular manufacturer if known.

Do not forget to include research using other primary sources. Revisit Types of Sources and How to Think About Sources and “Read” Them and ask of your artifact the same types of questions you would of any other document. For example, researching magazines and newspapers might uncover an old advertisement for your particular object, or give you clues to how your artifact related to the social and cultural dynamics of an era.

As you discover what your object is, during what time period it was made, and how your object was used, you can begin placing the artifact into a social and cultural context. While this is the most challenging part of the process, it is also very rewarding. Artifacts bring a different dimension to an historical interpretation by providing a sense of realism with their physical connection to the past. Being able to touch and handle an object brings along with it the desire to know what life was like in another era. Including material culture into your historical research will allow you to explore your topic to its fullest potential by weaving together the people, places, and things into a broader social, cultural, and historical context.

Material Culture Tutorial
at History Works

American Centuries…View from New England
at Memorial Hall Museum Online