Defectives, Feeble-minded: United States. Massachusetts. Waverly. School for Feeble-minded: Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded.: Shoe Repairing. c. 1903

Curator: This photograph, taken by William A. Webster, captures a scene at the Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded in Waverly. It's titled "Defectives, Feeble-minded: United States. Massachusetts. Waverly. School for Feeble-minded: Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded.: Shoe Repairing." Editor: It feels…stark. The light is hitting the backs of these boys as they diligently focus on their work, this shoe repair. They appear so serious, lost in the task. A quiet industry amidst a hushed environment. Curator: The photograph provides a glimpse into the institutional practices of the time, revealing how vocational training was used within these schools. Shoe repair skills here may have been seen as a means of social control and economic productivity. Editor: It’s strange, because I see them bent over their work, but I feel their individual loneliness in this group activity. Makes you wonder what the photographer's perspective was. Curator: Indeed, images like this prompt us to reflect on the complex relationship between photography, social reform, and the historical treatment of disability. Editor: It certainly does.