Charity, Public: United States. Massachusetts. Bridgewater. State Farm: State Farm: New Prison Building. c. 1903

Editor: This photograph, titled "Charity, Public: United States. Massachusetts. Bridgewater. State Farm: State Farm: New Prison Building," taken by Bass Photo, captures a stark, brick structure under construction. It's quite imposing and the sheer number of windows is...unsettling. What do you see in this image? Curator: I see the labor embedded in each brick, each window frame. Consider the social context: "Charity, Public" seems a loaded title. Who benefits? The state, perhaps, streamlining social control. What was the brick-making process like? Who were the laborers building this prison? Editor: So, not just a building, but a product of many hands and a reflection of societal values at the time. Thank you. Curator: Exactly. It encourages us to contemplate the political and economic conditions of its construction and use.