READ: Ottilie Baader (Graphic Biography)

Ottilie Baader became a leader of the German labor reform movement, but she also lived a life of work, not unlike many industrial workers of her time.

The Graphic Biography below uses “Three Close Reads”. If you want to learn more about this strategy, click here.

First read: skimming for gist

This will be your quickest read. It should help you get the general idea of what the graphic biography will be about. Pay attention to the title, headings, images, and layout. Ask yourself: what is this graphic biography going to be about?

Second read: understanding content

For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. You should also spend some time looking at the images and the way in which the page is designed.

By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

When was Ottilie Baader born, and how old was she when she began school? What did she learn there?
When did Ottilie begin working, and why? What were her days like at that age?
What was Ottilie’s job in the wool factory like?
Why did Ottilie become a labor organizer around 1871?
How does the artist use design to depict Baader’s life as a factory worker, but also her attempt to change her condition?

Third read: evaluating and corroborating

In this read, you should use the graphic biography as evidence to support, extend, or challenge claims made in the course.

At the end of the third read, you should be able to respond to these questions:

What evidence does Ottilie Baader’s story provide about industrialization as an engine of change in people’s lives?
How does it support, extend, or challenge what you have already learned about the impact of the Industrial Revolution?

Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to read! Remember to return to these questions once you’ve finished reading.

Ottilie Baader (Graphic Biography)

Writer: Trevor Getz

Artist: Liz Clarke

Ottilie Baader became a leader of the German labor reform movement, but she also lived a life of work, not unlike many industrial workers of her time.

Download the Graphic Biography PDF here or click on the image above.

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