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

Curator: This photograph by Frances Benjamin Johnston captures a harness-making class at the Hampton Normal and Industrial School in Virginia. Editor: It's striking. There's a palpable sense of industry, but also a quiet dignity in their focused expressions. Curator: Indeed. The image invokes the symbolism of the Hampton Institute’s mission—offering vocational training to African Americans and Native Americans post-Civil War. Note the structured environment. Editor: The brick walls almost feel like a framework, encasing the promise of upward mobility, yet simultaneously hinting at the constraints of the era. All these men working together with purpose. Curator: The act of harness-making itself is symbolic too; representing connection, control, and perhaps even a subtle rebellion through skilled labor. Editor: It's interesting how a single image can hold so much weight—a visual document of education, aspiration, and the complex realities of its time. Definitely leaves an impact.