These photographs by one of America’s first woman photojournalists document the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University) in Virginia, which was founded after the Civil War to provide education and practical training to African Americans and Native Americans. Johnston’s images, composed to showcase the students’ hard work and virtue, were commissioned by the school to promote the aspirational goals of the curriculum. However, this educational model was quickly criticized for reinforcing segregation and assimilation.
Gallery label from 2019