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This article examines how pedagogical theories prioritizing objects and direct sensory experiences can be applied to the creation of picturebook illustrations. In response to the need for what illustrator Eric Carle characterizes as a bridge between the tactile world of objects and the world of images, this article proposes an ‘archaeological’ approach to image-making that prioritizes observation, collection and curation of found objects and materials and harnesses those materials as image-making tools and media such that the resulting images actually contain objects instead of just mimetically reproducing them. This exploration builds upon the work of two pedagogues who attempted to unify object-based theories with picture theories – Johann Pestalozzi and Lucy Sprague Mitchell – and uses the threads of their work to weave together recommendations about archaeological image-making strategies best suited for strengthening connections between pictures and the tangible world – namely, photography, collage and tactile enhancements.