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.: A Wheelwright Shop. 1899 - 1900

Curator: Frances Benjamin Johnston’s photograph captures a wheelwright shop at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia. Editor: The scene feels incredibly industrious, doesn’t it? The composition is dominated by the workbenches, each a testament to labor. You can almost smell the sawdust. Curator: Precisely. The image is part of a series documenting the assimilation of African Americans through vocational training. It reflects the complex intersection of race, education, and labor at the turn of the century. Editor: And the materiality is key. Look at the variety of tools, the texture of the wood. It speaks to the physical nature of the work, the skills being taught. The objects represent the means of production. Curator: The photograph also confronts the viewer with questions about agency and the politics of representation inherent in documenting a historically marginalized community. Editor: It certainly makes me consider the value we place on skilled trades and who has access to those skills. Curator: Indeed, a powerful statement about education, labor, and representation. Editor: The photo is a reminder of the value and purpose found in creating something tangible.