Races, Negroes: United States. Virginia. Hampton. Hampton Normal and Industrial School: Agencies Promoting Assimilation of the Negro. Development of Social Standards Among the Negroes. Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, Hampton, Va.: First aid to the Injured. 1899 - 1900

Editor: So, this photograph, "Races, Negroes: United States. Virginia. Hampton…"quite a mouthful! It's by Frances Benjamin Johnston and captures a first aid class. The composition feels very formal, almost staged. What do you see in this image? Curator: The formality hits me too. It's a record, an attempt at portraying progress, assimilation. The flag… that cabinet full of tinctures… it speaks to a very specific vision of education. Do you feel that sense of prescribed uplift? Editor: I do, now that you mention it. It's a powerful, yet slightly unsettling image, isn't it? Curator: Absolutely. A complicated snapshot of a complicated time. Editor: Definitely gives me a lot to think about.