Cultural Representations of the 1810 British Trial of Saartjie Baartman

FAIN: FT-254972-17

Samantha Nicole Pinto
Georgetown University (Washington, DC 20057-0001)

The research and writing of a book chapter on representations of the trial of Saartjie Baartman, known as "The Venus Hottentot."

This proposed project will examine ongoing cultural representations of the 1810 British trial involving African performer Saartjie Baartman, known as "The Venus Hottentot." Her managers were brought up on charges of false imprisonment by abolitionists appealing to the state on behalf of Baartman, whom they argued could not consent to an employment contract without extreme coercion or force. The trial amplified Baartman's fame and held the attention of both 19th century London and many future generations of those looking at cultural representations for signs of racial, sexual, and gendered difference. This proposed book chapter interrogates the specific connection between those cultural representations of Baartman and the legal discourses surrounding race, gender, contract, and labor that they touch upon throughout the 200 years of fascination with Baartman's body and performance.

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