History through paintings: what is true, and what to read
Your child is reading a novel set in a real moment of history. Many of those moments have a famous painting, and most of those paintings changed something. Each page shows the painting, says what really happened, what the painter got right and what was invented, with sources. Then it lists the books schools assign on that event, with their grades, and three questions to talk about at home or in class.
5 paintings so far, more being added. All images are public domain, from Wikimedia Commons.
By grade
High school
1692–1693 · High school
The Salem witch trials
Examination of a Witch, Tompkins H. Matteson (1853)
Read with: The Crucible (Grades 10–12)
July 14, 1789 · High school
The storming of the Bastille, start of the French Revolution
The Storming of the Bastille, Jean-Pierre Houël (1789)
Read with: A Tale of Two Cities (Grades 9–12)
July 1–3, 1863 · High school
The Battle of Gettysburg and Pickett's Charge
Battle of Gettysburg, Thure de Thulstrup (L. Prang & Co.) (1887)
Read with: The Killer Angels (Grades 9–10)
August 1918 · High school
A mustard gas attack on the Western Front, World War I
Gassed, John Singer Sargent (1919)
Read with: All Quiet on the Western Front (Grades 9–12)
By AP course
- The Salem witch trials (1692–1693) · Period 2 (1607–1754)
- The Battle of Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775) · Period 3 (1754–1800)
- The Battle of Gettysburg and Pickett's Charge (July 1–3, 1863) · Period 5 (1844–1877)
- The storming of the Bastille, start of the French Revolution (July 14, 1789) · Unit 5 (1648–1815)
- A mustard gas attack on the Western Front, World War I (August 1918) · Unit 8 (c. 1914–present)
- The storming of the Bastille, start of the French Revolution (July 14, 1789) · Unit 5: Revolutions (1750–1900)
- A mustard gas attack on the Western Front, World War I (August 1918) · Unit 7: Global Conflict (1900–present)
Book links go to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Grades come from the school, state and award lists in our database; see the methodology.