Races, Negroes: United States. Virginia. Hampton. Hampton Normal and Industrial School: Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, Hampton, Va.: A Part of the Shoe Shop. 1899 - 1900

Editor: This is a photograph by Frances Benjamin Johnston titled "Races, Negroes: United States. Virginia. Hampton. Hampton Normal and Industrial School: Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, Hampton, Va.: A Part of the Shoe Shop." The image depicts a group of people making shoes, perhaps as part of a vocational program. What's your take on this work? Curator: The photograph's power resides in documenting the means of production. Consider the materiality of leather, the tools, the very act of shoemaking as a form of labor and consumption within the context of the Hampton Institute. It's crucial to analyze who is performing this labor and within what social structures. What do the racial dynamics suggest about the value placed on their work? Editor: That’s a really interesting way to look at it, focusing on the labor and materials. I hadn’t considered the racial implications so directly. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. By examining the process and the social context, we gain a deeper understanding of the photograph's meaning and its place within a larger history.