Races, Negroes: United States. Virginia. Hampton. Hampton Normal and Industrial School: Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, Hampton, Va.: Domestic Science and Agriculture Building. 1899 - 1900

Curator: This photograph by Frances Benjamin Johnston captures the Domestic Science and Agriculture Building at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. Editor: There's a starkness to this image, a certain plainness in the building's design. You can almost feel the weight of the materials. Curator: Johnston's work often highlights institutions like Hampton, emphasizing their role in shaping social mobility for African Americans after the Civil War. Editor: Right, but how was it built? Who laid the bricks? What was the source of the materials themselves? The building stands as a symbol, but it's also a testament to labor, maybe even forced labor. Curator: That's crucial. Hampton aimed to provide practical skills, but also reinforced a specific social order. It's a complex legacy. Editor: Indeed. It's a stark building within a system. Understanding that makes it harder to see such places uncritically.