Social Settlements: United States. Massachusetts. Boston. "South End Industrial School": The South End Industrial School, Roxbury, Mass.: Exhibit of the Settlement and Home Garden. c. 1903

Editor: This photograph, "Social Settlements: United States. Massachusetts. Boston. 'South End Industrial School': The South End Industrial School, Roxbury, Mass.: Exhibit of the Settlement and Home Garden," by Partridge Studios, showcases a room filled with tables displaying garden produce. It seems to highlight the fruits – literally – of the school's labor. What strikes you about this image? Curator: The display itself—the very act of exhibiting these goods—is telling. It highlights the school's engagement with material production and consumption within its social context. Editor: How so? Curator: Consider the labor involved. What sort of practical skills were taught? How did these skills translate into community building and self-sufficiency? These displays were likely meant to showcase the success of the school's approach. Editor: It's fascinating to think about the intersection of labor, education, and social reform embodied in these arrangements. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. Understanding art involves examining its production, purpose and social implications.