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Examples: Paintings: Long Description

These are examples only. Context is key! It will always influence how you describe an image. For full instructions on how to write see Complex Image Descriptions and General Guidelines.
If you have any questions, post your question on the Alt-Text Q&A

Sometimes a painting will require a long description. This depends on the context of the painting. If it is not described in the surrounding text, and it is important to the reader to know the details of the image, then you can write a long description.

The following example is from DAISY's webinars on Long Descriptions and where written by Huw Alexander from textBOX.

[Alt-Text] An oil painting by Pieter Breughel the Younger entitled A Village festival in Honor of Saint Hubert and Saint Anthony.

[Long Description] The scene is one of mass revelry along the main thoroughfare of a village in celebration of the religious festival of the Saints Anthony and Hubert. The street is filled with revelers and events. Brueghel has contrasted the indulgence and misbehavior of some of the villagers with moments of happiness and care from others. The scene is very detailed and is divided into 4 quadrants to aid the visualization of the scene.

Upper right quadrant. The section includes the following 10 events.

  1. A goat grazes in the grounds of the church.
  2. A woman holds a small child by the hand as they walk into the church.
  3. Two men inside the church are seen ringing the church bells.
  4. A young boy climbs over the wall of the church.
  5. A man kneels before a confessional booth outside the church.
  6. A group of men lean on the church wall, deep in conversation.
  7. A row of market stalls has attracted shoppers.
  8. A boy and girl walk hand in hand.
  9. 3 men lean on a table and seem to be playing a game of chance.
  10. The head of the procession features a drummer who is followed by men carrying crossbows over their shoulder.
Then you would continue to describe the other 3 quadrants in a similar fashion.

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public/nnels/etext/images/alt_text_examples/paintings.txt · Last modified: 2024/02/20 11:56 by rachel.osolen