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

Curator: This photograph, by Frances Benjamin Johnston, bears the title "Races, Negroes: United States. Virginia. Hampton. Hampton Normal and Industrial School: Agencies Promoting Assimilation of the Negro. Training Negro Girls in Domestic Science. Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, Hampton, Va.: Scrubbing." Quite a mouthful! Editor: My immediate impression is one of constrained energy. The figure, hunched and absorbed, seems to be pushing against the very frame of the image. It speaks volumes about labor. Curator: Precisely. Look at how Johnston uses light and shadow to emphasize the repetitive nature of the task. The bucket, the cloth, the posture—it's all so deliberately framed. One might consider the symbolism inherent in 'cleaning up'—an attempt to assimilate an entire race through domestic training. Editor: That's the crux of it, isn't it? Domestic science isn't merely about skills; it's about assigning roles, defining labor. What materials are used here? Wood floors, a basic bucket – the bare necessities to maintain a certain status quo. This speaks of the consumption and perpetuation of social boundaries. Curator: It's a stark piece, really. Johnston, whether intentionally or not, captured not just an image, but a loaded narrative about race, labor, and the complexities of assimilation. I feel sorrow and fury. Editor: And isn’t that what compels us? Its ability to distill such a complex history into one quietly powerful image.