Races, Negroes: United States. Virginia. Hampton. Hampton Normal and Industrial School: Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, Hampton, Va.: Huntington Memorial Library. 1899 - 1900

Curator: This photograph by Frances Benjamin Johnston captures the Huntington Memorial Library at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. Editor: It feels monumental, almost like a neoclassical temple dedicated to knowledge, rendered in brick instead of marble. Curator: Exactly. The Institute, later Hampton University, aimed to educate African Americans and Native Americans. Johnston's photographs promoted its mission of vocational training and moral uplift. Editor: The choice of brick, a common building material, feels significant. It speaks to the labor involved in building this institution and perhaps the aspirations of the community it served. Curator: Absolutely. Johnston’s images were often circulated to garner support, shaping the public's perception of African American education at the turn of the century. Editor: I appreciate that duality. It represents both physical construction of the Library and also the construction of a new narrative. Curator: A potent reminder of the intertwined nature of education, representation, and power. Editor: Indeed. It’s quite compelling.