Defectives, Feeble-minded: United States. Massachusetts. Waverly. School for Feeble-minded: Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded.: Elementary Gymnastics. c. 1903

Curator: Oh, this photograph by William A. Webster is startling—"Defectives, Feeble-minded: United States. Massachusetts. Waverly. School for Feeble-minded: Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded.: Elementary Gymnastics." Editor: Stark. The sepia tones give it this antique, distanced feel, but the postures of the boys—that forced uniformity—it's incredibly unsettling. Curator: Indeed. The gymnasium, the rows of boys in matching suits, the instructor… it speaks to a very specific moment in the history of institutionalization. The circles on the floor seem to denote control and restriction. Editor: Absolutely. Circles are often symbols of unity and wholeness, but here, they feel like individual confines. There's a disturbing tension between the intent to 'correct' and the loss of personal identity. It makes me consider, what images do we create to define others? Curator: A haunting question, really, as we look back at how visual culture framed perceptions—or misperceptions—of difference. Editor: Yes, and it's a reminder of how images can be wielded, even with the best intentions, to reinforce harmful ideologies.