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.: Geography - Local Industry. 1899 - 1900

Editor: This is a photograph by Frances Benjamin Johnston, titled "Races, Negroes: United States. Virginia. Hampton." It depicts students at the Hampton Normal and Industrial School, seemingly in a class outside. The mood feels… staged. What’s your take on this image? Curator: It's a powerful image, though fraught with the complexities of its time. Note the emphasis on "assimilation" in the title. How does the photographer's lens frame the students’ participation in the school's vocational training programs? What systems of power are at play here? Editor: It’s unsettling to consider the implications of assimilation. Is Johnston complicit in promoting a biased narrative? Curator: Johnston's role is multifaceted. She documents, but also reinforces, certain ideologies. The composition directs our gaze. Who is included, and who is excluded? Editor: This makes me consider the politics inherent in photography, even in documentary work. Thank you. Curator: Indeed. By acknowledging these complexities, we can begin to deconstruct the layers of meaning embedded within this image.