Doing History: Exchange and Status in the Early Modern World

1. Analyzing the display of status: In what different ways did the possession of foreign objects convey status in the early modern world? Toward whom were these various claims of status directed? Notice the difference between the display of status in public and private settings.
2. Noticing gender differences: In what ways are men and women portrayed in these visual sources? Why might women be absent in Sources 14.2 and 14.3?
3. Exploring the functions of trade: How might you use these images to support the idea that trade served more than economic needs?
4. Raising questions about cultural borrowing: What issues about cross-cultural borrowing do these visual sources suggest?
5. Evaluating images as evidence: What are the strengths and limitations of visual sources as a means of understanding the relationship of trade and status in the early modern era? What other kinds of sources would be useful for pursuing this theme?