Races, Negroes: United States. Virginia. Hampton. Hampton Normal and Industrial School: Agencies Promoting Assimilation of the Negro. Training for Commercial and Industrial Employment. Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, Hampton, Va.: Class in Economics. 1899 - 1900

Editor: This photograph, taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston, captures an economics class at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. The students are arranged neatly, attentive to the lecture. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: The photo serves as a document of labor practices and material conditions. It portrays the Hampton Institute's role in training African Americans for specific kinds of work, reflecting the economic structures of the time. Look at the clothing—it’s part of the production of a skilled workforce, not just personal expression. Editor: So, the photograph isn't just about education, but also about the economics of labor? Curator: Exactly. The classroom, the chalkboard, even the posture of the students—they're all elements within a system of production and assimilation. Editor: That gives me a new way to look at the image, it's fascinating to think of it in terms of labor. Curator: Considering the image in its historical context is really important.