The Black Venus Story: The Tragic Fate of "Exhibit Man" Saartjie Baartman
The tragedy of Saartjie Baartman is one of the darkest episodes in European colonial history. A native of South Africa, she became known as the Black Venus and was transformed into a "human exhibit," displayed for public entertainment. This story tells the story of a woman whose fate was shattered by racism, cruel prejudice, and a thirst for spectacle, and whose memory has become a symbol of the struggle for human dignity.
No one knows exactly when Saartjie Baartman was born. According to one theory, she was born in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa in 1789. Her exact date of birth is unknown, as she belonged to the Khoikhoi (Hottentot) people, who kept no written records. Researchers rely on contemporary accounts, who claim she was around 21 years old when she arrived in London in 1810. Her mother died when Saartjie was only two years old, and when she reached adolescence, her father died as well. She married young and had a child. But her family happiness ended abruptly when her husband was murdered by a Dutch settler.
Saartie became a slave in the home of Boer farmers near Cape Town. Her name, "Saartie," is a diminutive of "Sarah," given to her by her owners; her real name is unknown. Although she received no formal instruction, she quickly learned the language of her owners. Baartman's life was not easy, but it was bearable. Another tragedy struck in October 1810 with the arrival of the English physician William Dunlop.
A British man came to a Boer farm on business. He was attracted by the African girl's unusual figure, typical of Bushmen and Hottentot women. Saartjie had pronounced steatopygia, or significant fat deposits on her buttocks. This wouldn't be surprising in South Africa, but for Europeans, such a body type was unusual. Dunlop didn't simply notice Saartjie's appearance—he made the first anthropological notes: height 147 cm, weight 46 kg, waist 62 cm, hips 102 cm. He used these figures in advertising posters as "scientific data."
William Dunlop immediately realized that Saartjie's exotic appearance could be a lucrative investment. He bought her from the farmers and brought her to Europe. Even in the early 19th century, forcing a girl to perform in public without her consent was impossible. But Dunlop easily secured a contract with the African woman, who was uninitiated in the ways of the world. The contract merely stipulated participation in a few harmless shows, but in reality, things were quite different.
The contract, signed on October 29, 1810, obligated Saartje to serve as Dunlop's "servant" and perform in England and Ireland for five years. In exchange, she was promised "a portion of his earnings," clothing, and "good treatment"—conditions she, being illiterate, had no way of verifying.
In London, the girl was exhibited as a "living statue" in a bar. Those who wanted to see Saartjie paid money for this. She posed completely nude, wearing only beads or a skin-colored tight-fitting leotard. Dunlop also held private screenings, during which viewers were allowed to touch Baartman's body. She was displayed in a specially constructed cage, and anyone could pinch her buttocks to ensure they were "natural."
To attract attention to this curiosity, posters were hung around the British capital. They featured Saartjie's image and her stage name, "Black Venus." Many historians believe that Baartman started the fashion for "human zoos" in Europe, which lasted for over a century. The concept of humanism in the 19th century was vague, and it didn't apply to people of other races. Therefore, Saartjie became a disenfranchised tool for unscrupulous profiteers.
The performances took place at 220 Brook Street, where tickets cost two shillings—the equivalent of a London laborer's daily wage. Over 5,000 people saw Saartje in a month. One performance in 1811 was attended by the future King William IV, who would later become monarch and sign the Abolition of Slavery Act—but at the time, he laughed at "Venus" along with everyone else.
It seemed like no one could help Baartman, and she was completely alone in the face of her tormentors. But that wasn't the case. An organization called the "African Association" made a bold attempt to save the girl. Her story received widespread publicity and even led to a court case. Saartjie's owners, who had bought her from Dunlop, were charged.
Unfortunately, the trial ended with the scoundrels' acquittal. The fact is that to win the case, Baartman had to prove that she was being exploited without her consent. The scoundrels had a contract signed by her, and this saved the dealers. The illiterate African woman didn't bother to prove coercion in court, as she had little understanding of what was happening around her.
The owners of the "human zoo" threatened to leave the girl homeless. She then claimed she had voluntarily participated in the exhibitions and performances for income. The judges ruled the relationship between Baartman and her owners as "labor" and dismissed the case. After this, the girl enjoyed a brief period of fame thanks to a high-profile trial. The hearings at King's Bench Court on November 24, 1810, set a precedent. Although Saartjie was not released, the trial was one of the first in history to raise the issue of human rights in the context of racial exploitation.
Over time, the London public's interest in Saartjie waned. The show's owners tried to squeeze everything they could out of her. They took her on tour in the UK and Ireland. Baartman brought them income for another four years, but then the cash flow dried up. Saartjie's employers no longer needed her, and they transferred her "cooperation rights" to the French trainer Reo.
Thus, in 1814, the "Black Venus" found herself in Paris. There, Saartjie again played the "living statue." The Frenchman turned out to be a rude, hard-drinking, and greedy man. He underpaid Baartman even the pittance she was entitled to under her contract, insulting and humiliating her. Yet she enjoyed relative freedom.
Baartman's life seemed to have improved significantly in Paris. She was a regular in many homes, invited to social gatherings, and whiled away her evenings at the Café de Paris. But, unaccustomed to the temptations of the European capital, Saartjie quickly became an alcoholic and then began working as a prostitute. It is known that in Paris, she lived at 15 rue Neuve-Saint-Eustache, in an apartment rented for her by Reau. It was there that she spent her final months, suffering from alcoholism and, possibly, syphilis.
In Paris, Baartman was displayed not only to the public but also to scholars—her body was studied by anthropologists in an attempt to "prove" theories of racial superiority. She became the model for numerous drawings and lithographs, which were later used in pseudoscientific works on "primitive races."
Georges Cuvier, director of the National Museum of Natural History, held several conversations with Baartman and drew important conclusions. The scientist noted that, despite her illiteracy and lack of education, the African woman possessed high intellectual abilities and an excellent memory. Cuvier was also surprised by the fact that, in addition to her native language, Saartje was fluent in the Boer dialect of Dutch, which she had learned on her own while working on a farm.
Less than a year after moving to Paris, interest in Baartman began to wane there, too. Her trainer, Reault, terminated her contract, leaving her penniless. She continued to drink and sell her body until she died in December 1815 at the age of 26. The cause of death for the "Black Venus" is unknown. It may have been pneumonia, syphilis, or alcoholism, or perhaps a combination of ailments and vices.
According to the medical report compiled at St. Anthony's Hospital, she had "inflammation of the internal organs, characteristic of prolonged alcohol abuse and sexual exhaustion." Cuvier performed an autopsy just seven hours after death—without the family's permission. He personally measured her brain, which weighed 1,198 grams—above average for women of the time—a fact he ignored, concluding that she was "primitive."
After Baartman's death, Professor Cuvier made a plaster cast of her body. He also preserved her skeleton and preserved her brain and genitals in pickle. For a long time, parts of the unfortunate African woman were on display at the Musée de l'Homme in Paris. Only in 1974 did someone notice the inhumane exhibits. They were removed from display and placed in the museum's storerooms, where they remained for nearly 30 years.
In 1994, when Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa, he demanded the return of the cast and its parts to the country. Lengthy negotiations ensued, but eventually, in March 2002, Baartman's remains were sent to South Africa. In August of that year, what remained of the unfortunate "Black Venus" was interred, 187 years after her death.
The burial ceremony on August 9, 2002, South Africa's National Women's Day, drew thousands of people. Her remains were interred on the banks of the Gamtoos River in the Eastern Cape Province—the place she considered her true home. Saartjie's grave is located on a hill in the African town of Hanki.
Saartjie Baartman's story is a painful reminder of how easily a person's dignity can be stripped away, cloaked in the guise of science, art, or show. We've come a long way since those days, but has society truly become more humane, or have the forms of exploitation simply changed? What do you think?