Races, Negroes: United States. Virginia. Hampton. Hampton Normal and Industrial School: Agencies Promoting Assimilation of the Negro. Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, Hampton, Va.: Musical Organizations. 1899 - 1900

Curator: This photograph by Frances Benjamin Johnston captures a musical ensemble at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. The photograph, titled "Races, Negroes: United States. Virginia. Hampton", depicts a group of African American students with their instruments posed on the steps of a building. Editor: The sepia tones give it a formality, almost like a staged portrait. But there's also a quiet confidence in their expressions, a sense of purpose. Curator: Exactly. Johnston's work often intersected with progressive-era ideas about education and uplift. Hampton was founded to educate freedmen and their descendants; the image speaks to the complicated history of assimilation during this period. Editor: I'm also drawn to the materiality of the instruments themselves—banjos, mandolins, guitars, even a cello—each instrument a crafted object. The contrast between the handmade quality of the instruments and the uniformity of their uniforms is very compelling. It highlights the tension between individual expression and institutional control. Curator: Precisely. It prompts us to consider the role of institutions like Hampton in shaping Black identity and culture at the turn of the century, as well as how the students resisted or subverted those expectations. Editor: This image is a powerful reminder of the complex interplay between individual creativity, cultural heritage, and the historical forces that sought to define them.