Historians are known for using traditional primary sources for their work–letters, diaries, newspapers, print publications, etc. What about the non-traditional? How about visual or aural sources? Poetry or song lyrics? What can these sources tell us? Below are some examples:
Visual/Material Sources
Types: Photographs, maps, advertisements, sheet music (art and lyrics), postcards, cartoons, lithographs, paintings, books (as art), magazines, art, furniture, textiles (The Bayeux Tapestry? Hello?)
Where found: Archives, online websites or digital archives, flea markets, eBay, magazine dealers, museums, libraries
Aural sources
Oral history interviews, radio programs/speeches, music
Where found: library archives, digital archives affiliated with a traditional archive, museums, collectors, CDs, etc.
LINKS TO SOME SOURCES, BUT NOT ALL!
Ad*Access (Advertising) Duke University
Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free Books, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine
IN Harmony: Sheet Music from Indiana University
There are numerous oral history repositories with online resources including UNC Charlotte Oral History Collections, the Southern Oral History Program, and the British Library.
Smithsonian Digital Collections
WHAT ABOUT YOUR TOPIC?
What sources are you aware of that are not the traditional letters, diaries, newspapers?
Draft a list of individual names that you discuss in your paper. Are there photos or paintings or drawings of those individuals? What do these images suggest about the subject?
Were there songs written about an event in your paper? What was it about? What do the lyrics say about your topic? Is there artwork on the sheet music? What might that say about your subject?
Are there any types of ephemera (postcards, advertising, etc.) related to your subject? What are those and what do they say about your topic?