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

Editor: This photograph by Frances Benjamin Johnston is titled "Races, Negroes: United States. Virginia. Hampton. Hampton Normal and Industrial School." It depicts two classrooms. The sheer number of students in these spaces really strikes me. How can we understand this image in its time? Curator: Well, considering the title, we must examine how these images served as evidence of "assimilation." Look closely at the classrooms themselves: the materials used for desks, the availability of resources. Are these meant to suggest progress through the display of labor and learning? Editor: It’s interesting to think about the image itself as a produced object, intended to convey a specific message about labor and progress. Curator: Exactly. Consider the photographer’s role, the school's mission, and the intended audience. Whose story is truly being told, and through what means? Editor: I see now that looking at the materials and context reveals so much more than what’s immediately visible. Curator: Precisely. It encourages us to question whose narratives are being prioritized and how.