5: Primary sources and analysis

5: Primary Sources and Analysis: The Foundation of Architectural History

Architectural history is built upon evidence, and primary sources constitute the most direct evidence available. These are materials created during the period under study, offering unfiltered windows into the past. Understanding and critically analyzing these sources is the fundamental skill upon which all historical interpretation rests.

What Constitutes a Primary Source in Architecture?

• The Building Itself: The most crucial primary source. Direct observation allows analysis of form, space, materials, construction techniques, ornamentation, and adaptation over time (patina, alterations).
• Drawings & Plans: Original sketches, presentation drawings, working plans, and construction details reveal design intent, spatial organization, and technical solutions directly from the architect or builder. Pay attention to scale, annotations, and revisions.
• Architectural Treatises & Writings: Texts like Vitruvius's De architectura, Alberti's De re aedificatoria, or Le Corbusier's Vers une architecture articulate theoretical principles, aesthetic ideals, and technical knowledge contemporary to their creation.
• Construction Documents: Contracts, specifications, builders' notes, and account books provide concrete evidence of materials, costs, labor, timelines, and client/patron involvement.
• Contemporary Descriptions & Accounts: Travelogues, diaries, letters, and inventories written by people who witnessed the building or event offer social context, perceived functions, and immediate reactions.
• Period Images: Paintings, engravings, photographs (from the mid-19th century onwards) depicting buildings capture their appearance, context, and use at specific moments before modern alterations or destruction.

The Imperative of Critical Analysis

Primary sources are not neutral truths; they require rigorous, critical analysis:

1. Observation & Description: Begin with meticulous, objective description. What exactly do you see or read? Note materials, dimensions, spatial relationships, text content, style, condition.
2. Contextualization: Place the source firmly within its time. Who created it? When? Where? For whom? What was the intended purpose (e.g., propaganda, instruction, record-keeping, artistic expression)? What cultural, social, economic, political, and technological forces shaped it?
3. Material & Formal Analysis: For buildings and drawings: How do materials behave? How is structure expressed or concealed? Analyze proportions, rhythm, light, ornamentation, spatial sequences. How do these elements contribute to the building's effect and meaning?
4. Source Criticism: Evaluate the source's reliability, perspective, and potential biases. Is it a first-hand account? Official record? Artistic interpretation? What might the creator have omitted or emphasized? Consider the source's provenance (origin and history).
5. Corroboration & Comparison: Cross-reference multiple primary sources. Does a written description match the physical building? Do different accounts agree? Compare the source to others from the same period or region.
6. Synthesis & Interpretation: Weave together observations, context, and critical evaluation to formulate an interpretation. What does this source reveal about design intent, construction processes, technological capabilities, patronage, social function, or cultural values? How does it contribute to understanding a specific period, movement, or architect? This interpretive step, grounded in source analysis, forms the core argument of historical scholarship and is essential for exam essays requiring critical engagement rather than mere description.