Telling a story through images is a more challenging task than to be expected. Writing an image essay requires the writer to think more creatively than normal and from a variety of perspectives. Through this though, the historical interpretation may become a multi-layered story filled with images that help convey a deeper history.

For my image essay I chose the topic "the history of the pretzel." As I began my research, I began to realize that the history of the pretzel would also tell a touching story of early immigrant life in turn of the century America. While researching the images, I was moved by the immigrants captured in the photographs.

Finding these images did prove to be a bit challenging. I found myself constantly looking for more, hoping to find "the one." I experienced frustration when an image was copyrighted or when I was being indecisive about which image to use. I was also disappointed when I would locate a possible image, yet it was not yet digitized. Ultimately I was very satisfied with the images that I found and used in this essay.

This process definitely expanded my research capabilities. It forced me to "think outside of the box." By thinking creatively about your research, you have a greater chance of locating insightful and unique images. This essay also familiarized me with the wonderful world of the archive. There is so much valuable information in these archives; these images and documents are just waiting to be found and interpreted. It will be a glorious day when all of the archives, small and large, have enough time and money to digitize all of their images and documents.

Overall, I found this project very challenging and at the same time very fulfilling. I was extremely excited to share this image essay with my friends and family, as I hoped they would enjoy viewing the images and reading a quick history of the pretzel.