Untitled (Slave Quarters) c. 1860

Editor: This is George Norman Barnard's photograph, simply called "Slave Quarters." It's a small print, but packs a punch, showing what I assume are former enslaved people in front of very modest homes. What story do you think it's trying to tell? Curator: Oh, it whispers volumes, doesn't it? I see resilience etched in the very grain of those weathered cabins. Look at how the people gather, almost defiant, in the face of… well, everything. It's like they're saying, "We're still here, we are a community.” How do those light clothes make you feel? Editor: Hopeful, maybe? A little like a baptism. They look so clean. Curator: Exactly! After darkness, a dawn. It’s an image about a community finding its feet, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Definitely. Gives you a lot to think about.