Crime, Children, Reform Schools: United States. New York. Freeville. George Junior Republic: George Junior Republic, Freeville, N.Y.: The street-cleaning department at work. c. 1903

Curator: This photograph, attributed to Simon Lubin, is titled "George Junior Republic, Freeville, N.Y.: The street-cleaning department at work." Editor: It has a documentary feel, raw and unpolished. You see the labor, the horse, the tools... a world defined by physical work. Curator: Precisely. The George Junior Republic was a reform school aiming to instill self-governance and vocational skills in young men. Editor: And this photo really highlights the "vocational" part. Look at the dirt, the strain on their bodies...the inescapable physicality of their reform. Were they paid? Curator: The Republic used a system of self-governance with laws and currency, so they were likely paid for their work within that system. It's a social experiment visualized. Editor: It's a stark image, isn't it? Makes you think about the labor that built our world, often unseen and unacknowledged. Curator: A powerful reminder of the complex social forces shaping even the simplest image.