Online gallery helps teachers broach taboos

Bridgeman Education uses fine art and historical pictures to get past taboos

A picture gallery that lets teachers and their students discuss subjects with a taboo has been put online.

Bridgeman Education deals with a range of themes depicted through fine art and historical pictures.

It covers 12 topics including despair, environmental awareness and discrimination, which it says will help teachers explain sensitive topics found in curriculum subjects such as English, History and Politics.

The topics 'strength' includes images ranging from old-fashioned strongmen and comic book characters to labourers and Greek Gods.

A picture of suffragettes could also teach students about gender inequality and how it relates to other forms of discrimination, such as slavery or racism.

Pupils could also learn about British social history, Edwardian costume, and the history of advertising by studying the way the suffragettes promoted themselves and gained recognition and support.

Bridgeman Education chairperson Harriet Bridgeman said: “A painting or historical image has the ability to convey a tricky message or indeed society's taboo subjects ,which might be too harsh using mainstream photography with everyday subjects.

“As well as supporting themes in history, mythology and politics, the images could help pupils with their storytelling and writing in English.”