. Her constant display attracted the attention of George Cuvier, a naturalist. The courts eventually dismissed the case but mandated that Cezar discontinue the show’s indecency. 1978. Encyclopedia of Race and Racism. Originally published in 1990 to widespread acclaim, The Venus Hottentot introduces Elizabeth Alexander's vital poetic voice, distinguished even in this remarkable first book by its examination of history, gender, and race with an uncommon clarity and music. Baartman was born during the period of Dutch colonization in South Africa. https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hottentot-venus, "Hottentot Venus In his essay "Dictionnaire des sciences medicales" (Dictionary of medical sciences), he summarizes the true nature of the black female within the framework of accepted medical discourse. "The Venus Hottentot." He asked Reaux if he would allow Sara to be studied as a science specimen to which Reaux agreed. Described in South Africa Sunday Times as a “sharp and gifted writer with an irreverent take on life,” Lewis Nkosi has live…, Raymond A. Winbush Much of Alexander's poetry involves a renaming. (La Pinière), https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hottentot-venus, Communication of Ideas: Africa and its Influence. It is believed that both men convinced Baartman to enter into a contract on the “Hottentot Venus” show, in which she would share in the profits of her exhibition. The occasion of Cuvier's statement quoted above was the dissection of a woman widely known as the Hottentot Venus. These complaints soon led to the intervention of the African Institution, an abolitionist organization that brought Hendrik Cezar to trial for practicing slavery and public indecency. In doing so, the book raises questions about the possibilities and limits of biography for understanding those who live between and among different cultures. Encyclopedia of Race and Racism. Baartman was already a married woman when she experienced one of these extermination raids on her community. Cezar’s brother, Hendrik Cezar, noticed Baartman during a visit to the house and later conceived of the “Hottentot Venus” show. 1963- (Judith Ann Houck), Houda-Pepin, Fatima, B.A., M.A., M.L.S. Gould, Stephen Jay. Nonetheless, Cezar advertised the show and billed Baartman as a “most correct specimen of her race.” The “Hottentot Venus” exhibition, which took place at 225 Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly Circus, was instantly popular and inspired bawdy ballads and political cartoons, thus demonstrating how the icon of the Hottentot Venus became a fixture in the culture. He also molded a plaster cast of Baartman’s body and preserved her genitalia (considered “enormous” in comparison to white women) and her brain (considered “small” in comparison to white men) in jars of formaldehyde fluid, which remained on display at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris as late as the 1980s. POPULATION: 8.2 million in South Africa, 2.1 million in Lesotho Baartman was already an alcoholic at the time, and the scientists enticed her with alcohol and sweets to pose nude. "Hottentot Venus Encyclopedia.com. (April 15, 2021). An indigenous woman from an area now located in South Africa, Baartman was taken to London in 1810 and paraded through Europe, on display for the public to gawk at her full figure and for scientists to explore the reasons for her voluptuous appearance. New York: Routledge. The Venus Hottentot: Elizabeth Alexander Reads Her Stirring Poem About the Roots of Racism and the Misuses of Science “Elegant facts await me.” By Maria Popova. 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