(Black and white image of a woman sitting behind a table and operating an early phonograph recording device. A Native American elder, in full ceremonial clothing, is sitting to the right of the table, in front of the phonograph horn.)
Photographs, drawings and other images provide information you can't always get from a text source. Images can provide details of everyday life such as clothing or material culture.
It is important to keep in mind that photographs are not an unbiased reflection of reality -- the photographer chooses what and how to depict a certain scene.
Digitized collections of images from around the Web: