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. 1899 - 1900

Curator: This photographic print, titled "Races, Negroes: United States. Virginia. Hampton," by Frances Benjamin Johnston, captures scenes at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. There's a certain quiet diligence in the way these women are pictured. Editor: My eye is drawn to the textures; you can almost feel the caning and the stuffing of the mattress. It highlights the materiality of labor and production. What's striking is how these crafts – historically undervalued as 'women's work' – are being presented as avenues for economic agency within a specific social context. Curator: Exactly. Johnston's lens documents the school's mission, framed as "Agencies Promoting Assimilation of the Negro" through commercial and industrial training. The photographs portray these women as active participants, acquiring skills deemed valuable for their integration into society. Yet, there's a tension there, isn't there? The institution aims to assimilate, but what does that mean for cultural preservation and self-determination? Editor: It speaks volumes about the complex relationship between education, labor, and social mobility, especially for marginalized communities. These images invite us to question the narratives of progress and the role of institutions in shaping identities and futures. Curator: Agreed. Johnston's work, while seemingly straightforward documentation, prompts us to consider the deeper socio-political implications of skill acquisition and assimilation in the context of race and gender.