The Look of the Past

'Few scholars can match Jordanova's ability to further historical practice through precise analysis, originality and thought-provoking questions, and this pioneering publication is a 'how-to' book in the best possible sense. Beautifully illustrated and offering carefully selected bibliographical advice, The Look of the Past significantly enriches the historians' toolbox and throws out rusty remains. A winner!' Ulinka Rublack, author of Dressing Up: Cultural Identity in Renaissance Europe

'A master historian of visual culture brings the subject to life, shows its importance to understanding any period of history, and offers concise and compelling guidelines for making sense of how it works. The Look of the Past strikes just the right tone in offering an accessible, wondrously wide-ranging, and intellectually satisfying account of visual objects from handbags to Baroque paintings.' Lynn Hunt, University of California, Los Angeles

'A staunchly argued, exceptionally lucid demonstration of the enlightenment, and also pleasure, to be derived from alert, informed, enquiring looking at the myriad artefacts surrounding us. Enlivened by wide-ranging case studies and a provocative choice of illustrations, it is a timely and invaluable resource for students of history and art history alike.' Elizabeth Cowling, University of Edinburgh

Ludmilla Jordanova is Professor of Modern History at King's College London. Her publications include History in Practice, now going into its third edition.

A handbag?; Introduction; 1. Description and evidence; Essay - a 'sumptuous structure': the Wren Library at Trinity College, Cambridge; 2. Craft, skills and visual intelligence; Essay - 'the jewel of the church': Bernini's Ecstasy of St Teresa; 3. Periodisation; Essay - photographing 'the family of man'; 4. Audiences and display; Essay - deposits of friendship: Renoir's 1908 portrait of Ambroise Vollard; 5. Comparative analysis; List of reference works.