Races, Negroes: United States. Virginia. Hampton. Hampton Normal and Industrial School: Agencies Promoting Assimilation of the Negro. Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, Hampton, Va.: A Meal in an Old Cabin. 1899 - 1900

Curator: Frances Benjamin Johnston captured this image, titled "A Meal in an Old Cabin," at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia. Editor: There's a profound sense of quiet here, almost solemnity, in the arrangement of these figures and objects. Curator: The Institute aimed to assimilate Black individuals through industrial and agricultural training. The photograph then becomes part of that narrative, highlighting domesticity and labor. Editor: The cabin itself, with its worn textures and simple furnishings, becomes a powerful symbol. We see echoes of hardship and resilience in the faces and in the very structure that shelters them. What stories do those jugs and pitchers hold? Curator: Johnston's work, though visually compelling, served a larger social project rooted in specific ideas about race and progress. Look at how the light falls, directing the viewer's eye. Editor: Yes, the light emphasizes their dignity. The image speaks to a legacy of survival against the odds. Curator: Considering the historical context transforms how we see their material existence. Editor: Indeed, it adds layers of meaning to this deceptively simple scene, making it a window into a complex past.