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

Curator: This photograph by Frances Benjamin Johnston, titled "Races, Negroes: United States. Virginia. Hampton. Hampton Normal and Industrial School: Agencies Promoting Assimilation of the Negro. Training for Commercial and Industrial Employment. Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, Hampton, Va.: Bricklaying" captures a scene of industrial education. Editor: There’s a starkness to it. The grey brick and the students' work clothes lend it a utilitarian, almost monumental feel. Curator: Bricklaying, in this context, wasn’t just about construction; it symbolized building a future, and it speaks to the school's mission of vocational training as a path to assimilation. Editor: Yes, and the medium itself—bricks, mortar, the labor involved—highlights the physical act of building, of creation, and the tangible skills being imparted. It confronts the viewer with the means of production and the social realities embedded in it. Curator: Absolutely. The arch, the partially built walls, are all potent symbols of progress and upward mobility. Editor: It also makes me think about the weight of expectation placed on these students, a literal weight, brick by brick. Curator: A good point. The photograph presents a complex interplay of hope, labor, and the challenges of a specific historical moment. Editor: A powerful image that reveals a lot about the intersection of race, labor, and education.