Snapshots of the Past

[A class in dressmaking, Hampton Institute, Hampton, Virginia] – Vintage Wall Art

[A class in dressmaking, Hampton Institute, Hampton, Virginia], [1899] — historic photograph
[A class in dressmaking, Hampton Institute, Hampton, Virginia], [1899]. Historic photograph from the Historic Print Archive collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

This rare historic photograph captures [A class in dressmaking, Hampton Institute, Hampton, Virginia] in remarkable detail. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. A fine choice for anyone who loves history, and a gift that gets noticed. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

[A class in dressmaking, Hampton Institute, Hampton, Virginia]

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Hampton Institute, founded in 1868 in Hampton, Virginia, as a school for freedpeople and their children, trained students in trades alongside academic subjects, and this 1899 photograph shows that practical side in a dressmaking class. Frances Benjamin Johnston, the photographer whose work fills the collection this print belongs to, documented the school's classrooms and workshops in the late 1890s for a broader audience. Her images were meant to show the school's vocational program to outsiders, and the careful arrangement of students at their sewing work reflects that purpose. Vocational instruction like this gave many young women a marketable skill, and the scene is a useful window into how Hampton approached education at the turn of the century.

Created / published[1899]
Medium1 photographic print.
GenrePhotographic prints 1890-1900.
NotesFrances Benjamin Johnston Collection (Library of Congress).
SubjectsHampton Institute--People--1890-1900. African Americans--Education--Virginia--Hampton--1890-1900. Educational facilities--Virginia--Hampton--1890-1900. Classrooms--Virginia--Hampton--1890-1900. Sewing--Virginia--Hampton--1890-1900. Tailoring--Virginia--Hampton--1890-1900. Vocational education--Virginia--Hampton--1890-1910.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,191 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-118486

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