Industrial Problems, Strikes: United States. New York. Brooklyn. Street Railway Strike: Strikes, United States: Policeman clearing obstacles c. 1903

Curator: This photograph, taken by Percy C. Byron, captures a moment from the Brooklyn street railway strike, part of the "Industrial Problems, Strikes: United States" series. It's quite small, only about 19 by 24 centimeters. Editor: It's arresting! The sepia tones lend a feeling of distance, but the action—a policeman clearing a barricade from the tracks—draws you right into the thick of it. Curator: Right, the image is deceptively simple, but the social context explodes with tension. It speaks to the fraught relationship between labor, capital, and state power during that era. Editor: Indeed. And the composition itself reinforces this. The policeman is hunched, almost anonymous, while the streetcar looms, a symbol of industry's relentless march. What do you feel looking at this? Curator: I feel a sense of foreboding, a recognition of cycles of struggle. Editor: Yes, a somber reminder that these fights for justice continue.