Races, Negroes: United States. Virginia. Hampton. Hampton Normal and Industrial School: Agencies Promoting Assimilation of the Negro. Development of Social Standards Among the Negroes. Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, Hampton, Va. 1899 - 1900

Curator: This is a fascinating photographic composite by Frances Benjamin Johnston, documenting the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. It shows scenes of Black students engaged in academic and practical activities. Editor: It feels posed, but in a way that tries to convey a sense of progress and assimilation. There's something unsettling about the inscription. Curator: The Institute, while providing education, had a complicated mission of assimilating Black students into white American culture. Johnston’s photos were part of an exhibit promoting this ideology. Editor: Right, and that mission is right there in the title, "Agencies Promoting Assimilation of the Negro." These images show a very specific narrative being constructed, one of order and control. What about the women in the photo? Curator: Notice how gender plays a role. Women are learning "First Aid", perhaps a limited but accepted role in society at the time. Editor: It really highlights the complexities of education during that era, and how visual culture was used to reinforce social norms. Curator: Absolutely. This image serves as a powerful reminder of how institutions shape identity and perpetuate specific viewpoints. Editor: Yes, this image prompts us to look critically at the past and interrogate the motivations behind such visual narratives.