Defectives, Feeble-minded: United States. Massachusetts. Waverly. School for Feeble-minded: Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded.: How Boys are Taught Simple Manual Labor. c. 1903

Editor: So, this photograph, "Defectives, Feeble-minded," by William Webster, shows boys at the Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded doing manual labor. The image is stark and troubling. What can you tell me about it? Curator: This image foregrounds labor, and the means of production within institutions. The boys are learning to work the land, and the image emphasizes the materiality of the land itself and the tools they are using. How does the composition relate to the social context of labor at that time? Editor: I guess it shows how labor was seen as a tool for managing and controlling marginalized groups. It's unsettling to think about. Curator: Exactly. And what does it say about the blurring of lines between care, labor, and exploitation?