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.: Making an Omelet. 1899 - 1900

Editor: Here we have a photograph by Frances Benjamin Johnston, documenting domestic science training at the Hampton Normal and Industrial School. It feels very staged, almost like a demonstration. What strikes you about this image? Curator: It’s fascinating how this image was intended to project a certain narrative. Johnston was commissioned to photograph the school to garner support, portraying assimilation through domestic skills. Notice the blackboard; it's not just a lesson, but a visual declaration of prescribed roles. Editor: So, the act of omelet-making becomes a political statement? Curator: Precisely. The image operates within a complex framework. The school itself was founded on contested ideologies of racial uplift and industrial education. Johnston’s photograph is a carefully constructed piece of propaganda. Editor: I never would have considered it that way just looking at it, but it makes so much sense now. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. It's always worthwhile to consider how the social context frames our understanding.