Modern data empower observers to describe galaxies as the spatially and biographically complex objects they are . We illustrate this through case studies of four , z \sim 1.3 systems based on deep , spatially resolved , 17-band + G102 + G141 Hubble Space Telescope grism spectrophotometry . Using full spectrum rest-UV/-optical continuum fitting , we characterize these galaxies ’ observed \sim kpc-scale structures and star formation rates ( SFRs ) and reconstruct their history over the age of the universe . The sample ’ s diversity—passive to vigorously starforming ; stellar masses \log M _ { \ast } / { M } _ { \odot } = 10.5 to 11.2—enables us to draw spatio-temporal inferences relevant to key areas of parameter space ( Milky Way- to super-Andromeda-mass progenitors ) . Specifically , we find signs that bulge mass-fractions ( B / T ) and SF history shapes/spatial uniformity are linked , such that higher B / T s correlate with “ inside-out growth ” and central specific SFRs that peaked above the global average for all starforming galaxies at that epoch . Conversely , the system with the lowest B / T had a flat , spatially uniform SFH with normal peak activity . Both findings are consistent with models positing a feedback-driven connection between bulge formation and the switch from rising to falling SFRs ( “ quenching ” ) . While sample size forces this conclusion to remain tentative , this work provides a proof-of-concept for future efforts to refine or refute it : JWST , WFIRST , and the 30 m class telescopes will routinely produce data amenable to this and more sophisticated analyses . These samples—spanning representative mass , redshift , SFR , and environmental regimes—will be ripe for converting into thousands of sub-galactic-scale empirical windows on what individual systems actually looked like in the past , ushering in a new dialog between observation and theory .