I agree about your comments regarding the importance of photos. More and more I have been thinking about how important it is that historians of the 20th and late nineteenth century really need to learn how to ‘read’ photos and take them seriously as historical evidence – not just ‘decoration’ as you say.

Photos are also an important communication device for readers. Historians should not just rely on writing to communicate to readers. Including photos is not ‘dumbing down’ history. Photos are a sophisticated communication medium in their own right, as so many artists and photo-journalists have demonstrated. But adding words with photos brings even more understanding. Each form complements the other in powerful ways.