Races, Negroes: United States. Alabama. Tuskegee. Tuskegee Institute: Agencies Promoting Assimilation of the Negro. Training for Commercial and Industrial Employment. Tuskegee Insitute, Tuskegee, Alabama: The Harness Shop. 1902

Curator: This photograph, taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston, depicts the harness shop at the Tuskegee Institute. It's part of a series documenting agencies involved in promoting assimilation through industrial training. Editor: There's a quiet dignity here, a somber commitment etched into their postures as they work. It's not just about the harnesses, is it? Curator: Absolutely. Johnston was deeply interested in the structures of vocational training. Her photographs challenge those high art versus craft distinctions, focusing on the means of production. Editor: You see that, and I see potential taking shape. Labor and skill interweaving. These aren't just harnesses they're crafting; they're building futures, stitching dreams into reality. Curator: I agree. The photograph frames labor as both a process and a performance within the social context of the time, highlighting the complex relationship between race, labor, and the promise of assimilation. Editor: Right, right. Seeing the image this way really drives home the underlying tensions—the weight of expectations, the quiet rebellion in pursuing craftsmanship. Gives me pause. Curator: Exactly! Johnston has really captured the complex interplay of these historical forces. Editor: And it brings a certain respect for the work these young men were doing.