They can use the details of a portrait, from the person's appearance, expression, name, and setting, to the date and caption, to create the details of a believable and compelling fictional character. If students enjoy this activity, they may want to develop their character sketches into short stories. Portrait of Ramon Blancos, Havana, Cuba, 1951. Portrait of Alma Morgenthau, 1933. Biography and Biographical Fiction Portraits of famous individuals in this collection provide starting points for projects related to biography.
Students can choose a famous person from the collection and read a biography of that individual.
This may include events, political, social, and artistic movements, and cultural trends. Portrait of Georgia O'Keeffe, New York, 1936. Students may write their own abbreviated biography of this person based on the biography they chose and any other additional resources. Biography has often provided the inspiration for creative works in fiction and film. Examples in film include Amadeus , directed by Milos Forman, Nixon , directed by Oliver North, Elizabeth , directed by Shekhar Kapur, The Miracle Worker directed by Penn Arthur, and Out of Africa , directed by Sydney Pollack.