Lesson Description: After a short history lesson on the early American Limner artists, have children make their own Limner portraits. Remember to explain that during this time period photography was not mass marketed and paintings were the main way people had their likenesses made. Working class people could not afford to pay a great deal to the painters, so to make the job go faster the artists would paint the bodies in their studios and then fill in the heads. Often this made the portrait look disjointed. Show Limner portraits. . . and brush up on the history.

Procedure:

Buy long roll paper, example Butcher paper.

Have students think of something or someone that they wish they could be for a day. Tell them they can get as crazy as they want. Some of my students imagined Pokemon or Wizards.

Pair off students and have them trace their partner with crayon. Then bring out the paint trays and let them get to work.

After snack or a story the paint will be dry. Cut out the heads or have older students help cut out a circle where the head would be.

Photograph the students with their head poking through the hole of their drawing.

Have the students exchange bodies and photograph them in other bodies.

Have pictures ready for them to see the next week with maybe a worksheet about what was learned.

My students LOVED this project!!!!

E-Mail

Erica Fedorovich

!