Venus

“THE NEGRO RESURRECTIONIST. Tail end of our tale for there must be an end

is that Venus, Black Goddess, was shameles [sic], she sinned or else

completely unknowing of r godfearin ways she stood

totally naked in her iron cage.

She gaind fortune and fame by not wearin a scrap

hidin only the privates lippin down from her lap.

When Death met her Death deathd her and left her to rot

au naturel end for our hot Hottentot.

And rot yes she would have right down to the bone

had not The Docteur put her corpse in his home.

Sheed a soul which iz mounted on Satans warm wall

while her flesh has been pickled in Sciences Hall.”

The Negro Resurrectionist reveals the end of the play in the Overture, preparing the audience for the inevitable countdown to the Venus’s death throughout the remainder of the performance. Even after death, this passage reveals, the Venus would remain the possession of the doctor and of scientists, broadly, emphasizing the degree to which the Venus would be objectified.

“THE BROTHER. How would you like to go to England?

THE GIRL. England! Well.

‘England.’ Whats that?

THE BROTHER. A big town. A boat ride away.

Where the streets are paved with gold.

THE GIRL. Gold, Sir?

THE BROTHER. Come to England. Dance a little.

THE GIRL. Dance? The Brother Folks watch. Folks clap. Folks pay you gold.

THE GIRL. Gold.

THE BROTHER. We’ll split it 50-50.

THE GIRL. 50-50?

THE BROTHER. Half for me half for you.

May I present to you: ‘The African Dancing Princess!’

THE GIRL. A Princess. Me?”

The “diva” persona of the Venus begins in the deal she makes with the Brother, in which she thinks he is promising to make her a princess. The potential to earn money and fame draw the Venus into the Brother’s deception, undermining the Venus’s later assertions of agency.

“THE BROTHER. I wanted you then and I want you now.

Thats partly why we’ve come here.

So I can love you properly.

Not like at home.

THE GIRL. Home?

Love?

You oughta take me shopping. I need a new dress.

I cant be presented to society in this old thing.

THE BROTHER. Tomorrow I’ll buy you the town.

For now lift up yr skirt.

There. Thats good.

She lifts her skirts showing her ass. He gropes her.

THE GIRL. I dont—

THE BROTHER. Relax. Presenting ‘The African Dancing Princess!’

THE GIRL. Hahahaha! I dont think I like it here.”

In England, the Venus discovers that the Brother has not been telling her the truth, and his true motivation, to have sex with the Venus without criticism, is more important than the promise he made to make the Venus a princess. The end line, here, shows that the Venus already suspects that life in England will not be as the Brother promised.

“THE YOUNG MAN. ‘The Man who has never been from his own home is no Man. For how can a Man call himself Man if he has not stepped off his own doorstep and wandered out into the world…Visit the world and Man he will be.’

[THE BRIDE-TO-BE. Canasta.

Whist?

Crazy 8s?

THE YOUNG MAN. ‘When a Man takes his journey beyond all that to him was hitherto the Known, when a Man packs his baggage and walks himself beyond the Familiar, then sees he his true I; not in the eyes of the Known but in the eyes of the Known-Not.’]

THE BRIDE-TO-BE. You wrote me once

such lovely poetry.

THE YOUNG MAN. ‘His place in the Great Chain of Being is then to him and to all that set their eyes upon him, thus revealed.’

THE BRIDE-TO-BE. ‘My Love for you is artificial

Fabricated much like this epistle.’

(Rest)

Such poetry you used to write me.”

The Young Man’s perspective is common to the imperialist mindset, in which the true measure of a European is how effectively they can tame or conquer foreign lands, cultures, and peoples. The drama between him and the Bride-To-Be begins, as she notes his newfound interest in Africa overtaking his interest in her.

“The Girl stands in the semidarkness. Lights blaze on her.

She is now The Venus Hottentot.

The Wonders become The Chorus of the Spectators and gather round.

THE MOTHER-SHOWMAN. THE VENUS HOTTENTOT

THE ONLY LIVNG CREATURE OF HER KIND IN THE WORLD STEPSISTER-MONKEY TO THE GREAT VENAL

LOVE

GODDESS

AND ONLY ONE STEP UHWAY FROM YOU RIGHT NOW

COME SEE THE HOT MISS HOTTENTOT

STEP IN STEP IN

HUR-RY! HUR-RY!

HUR-RY! HUR-RY!

The Venus

The Chorus of the Spectators

The Venus

The Chorus of the Spectators

The Venus

The Chorus of the Spectators

The Venus

The Chorus of the Spectators

(Rest)

THE VENUS. Oh, God:

Unloved.”

The Venus continues to see how she is perceived by her English audience, and the Mother-Showman directly calls the Venus a “monkey,” a racially charged insult, in her comparison to her namesake, the goddess of love, Venus. The pauses in this passage imply the period in which the Venus stands on display, understanding the objectification she is enduring.

“THE CHORUS OF THE 8 HUMAN WONDERS. Ive been in this line of work for years and yet everytime the crowds gather and the lights flash up

I freak out.

My first 5 months in this racket were like hell.

I didnt sleep I didnt eat my teeth were chattering nonstop.

That girl they call The Venus H. is holding up

holding up pretty well I think. And her crowds have been stupendous.

(Some audience is better than none at all and since shes come

we’re in another economic bracket.) Stupendous!

Stupendous! Still: Shes got that far away look in her eye

that look of someone who dont know thuh score.

She signed on for 2 years ‘only 19 months to go’ shes thinking.

But should I tell her? Uh uhnn, I havent got the heart to say:

‘Oh, Venus H., there is absolutely no escape.’”

The Chorus of the 8 Human Wonders essentially exposes the “freak show” culture of 19th-century England, in which such traveling groups of people considered “freaks” by society would be exploited for entertainment. In the end, the group debates whether it should tell the Venus that she cannot escape her fate.

“THE NEGRO RESURRECTIONIST. Footnote #4:

Historical Extract. Category: Newspaper Advertisements.

AN ADVERTISING BILL:

From Daniel Lysons Collectanea: of A Collection of Advertisements and Paragraphs from the Newspapers Relating to Various Subjects (London, 1809).

‘Parties of 12 and upwards, may be accommodated with a Private Exhibition of The Hottentot…between 7 and 8 o’clock in the evening, by giving notice to the Door-Keeper the day previous.

The Hottentot may also be viewed by single parties with no advance notice from 10 in the morning until 10 in the evening. Mondays through Saturdays. No advance notice is necessary.

A Woman will attend (if required).’”

The implication of this advertisement is that private sessions with the Venus were available for common people to purchase. As with later passages, the implication of this advertisement is that customers might sexually abuse the Venus, while also directly stating that the Venus spent 12 hours each day available for private viewing.

“THE MOTHER-SHOWMAN. Thuh kicks is native for them Hottentots.

When I was down there in their hot home.

As Gods my witness Kickin Kickin

Kickin all day Kickin at eachother

thats just their way!

They do one kick for our ‘move uhbout.’

2 kicks means uh well ‘pass thuh meat.’

They mix it with thuh toes n heel: Uh whole language of kicks

very sophisticated

for them of course.

(Rest)

Verify me, Venus.

(Go on, Girl, nod and back me up.)

See? I speak the truth!

Mother-Showman does not lie.

Stand up now, Girl.

Let em see you in yr alltogether.

Stand up thats it let Mother help ya.

Lets give these folks their moneys worth.”

Part of the Mother-Showman’s performance is the racist nonsense about the Venus’s home country. Kicking the Venus is violent and has no bearing on her home culture, but the Mother-Showman knows that the audience does not know anything about Africa, allowing him to make up any given story to tell them to garner a larger crowd.

“THE MOTHER-SHOWMAN. ‘Im all decided’ oooh la la.

Could it be Ive been showing you all wrong?

Christ I thought yr name was ‘Venus’s but, Lord of mercy,

yr the Queen of Fucking Sheeba.

THE VENUS. Hand it over.

THE MOTHER-SHOWMAN. Nope.

Go to bed.

THE VENUS. I want whats mine!

THE MOTHER-SHOWMAN. They dont let your kind run loose in the streets

much less set up their own shops.

THE VENUS. Gimmie!

THE MOTHER-SHOWMAN. You could be arrested.

You need Mothers protection.

THE VENUS. GIMMMMMIE!

THE MOTHER-SHOWMAN. Dont push me, Sweetie.

Next doors a smoky pub

full of drunken men.

I just may invite them in

one at a time

and let them fuck yr brains out.

THE VENUS. They do it anyway.”

The intersection of being Black and a woman collides in this passage, as the Mother-Showman threatens the Venus by noting both that Black people are not allowed to be out on their own and that men will spontaneously sexually assault her in the streets. Critically, the Venus’s response that “They do it anyway” confirms the implications of sexual assault earlier in the play.

“THE CHORUS OF THE COURT. We representatives of the Law

have hauled into Court the case

of a most unfortunate female, who has been known to

exhibit herself

to the view of the Public

in a manner offensive to decency and disgraceful to our

country.

This Court wonders if she is at inny time

under the control of others, or some dark force, some say,

black magic

making her exhibition against her will.

We ask 2 questions: Is she or was she ever indecent?

And at inny time held against her will?

We do not wish to send her adrift in the world without

asylum of a friend

a friend ready to receive and protect her.

But to the honor and credit of this country,

she will not find herself without friends and protection

even if she may be employed to expose herself

in a most disgraceful manner, however,

the Court intends to interfere and

receive her immediately under its protection;

for the purpose of restoring her to her own friends and

her own country

so that she not become a burden to the state and contribute

to our growing social ills.”

The concern of the Court, at the end of this passage, is the “growing social ills,” of which exploitation is one, but the focus in 19th-century England would be on sexuality and suppressing sexuality in art and the public. At the same time, the Court prides itself on hearing the Venus’s case at all, as though they are doing her a favor, not realizing that she lacks the efficacy to truly advocate for herself.

“THE NEGRO RESURRECTIONIST. Historical Extract. Category: Journalistic.

A letter of protest appearing in The Morning Chronicle,

Friday, 12 October 1810:

Witness #3: ‘Sir, As a friend to liberty, in every situation of life, I cannot help calling your attention to a subject, which I am sure need not only be noticed by you to insure your immediate observation and comment. I allude to that wretched object advertised and publicly shown for money—“The Hottentot Venus.” This, Sir, is a wretched creature—an inhabitant of the interior of Africa, who has been brought here as a subject for the curiosity of this country, for 2 cents a-head. Her keeper is the only gainer. I am no advocate of these sights, on the contrary, I think it base in the extreme, that any human beings should be thus exposed! It is contrary to every principle of morality and good order as this exhibition connects the same offense to public decency with that most horrid of all situations, Slavery.’”

The abolitionist argument in the court presents the concern of ownership, as they suspect the exploitative practices being applied to the Venus are the same as those applied to enslaved persons. However, this argument is also tinged with racism, as the abolitionist refers to the Venus as a “wretched creature,” linking her wretchedness to her origins in Africa.

“WITNESS #4. Equal time! Equal time!

I represent a man who knows!

THE NEGRO RESURRECTIONIST. A reply appearing in The Morning Chronicle, 23 October 1810.

WITNESS #4. ‘Since the English last took possession of the colonies, we have been consistently solicited to bring to this country, subjects well worthy of the attention of the Virtuoso, and the curious in general. The girl in question fits this description and interest in her has been fully proved by the approbation of some of the First Rank and Chief Literati of the kingdom, who saw her previous to her being publicly exhibited. And pray, has she not as good a right to exhibit herself as the Famous Irish Giant or the renowned Dogfaced Dancing Dwarf?!?!’”

Unlike the abolitionist, this responder omits the concern of race altogether, failing to acknowledge the ways in which the Giant and Dwarf, as white men, do not suffer the same disadvantages that a Black woman in 19th-century England would. Though the argument is to allow the Venus agency, it does not acknowledge how coercion and anti-Black, anti-women laws prevent fulfilling complete autonomy in this society.

“THE CHORUS OF THE COURT. Hear ye hear ye hear

All rise and hear our ruling:

It appears to the Court

that the person on whose behalf this suit was brought

lives under no restraint.

Her exhibition sounds indecent

but look at her now, shes nicely dressed.

It is clear shes got grand plots and plans

to make her mark and her mint by playing outside the

bounds so that we find

her person much depraved but she sez her show is part of

Gods great plan

and we buy that.

Besides she has the right to make her mark just like the

Dancing Irish Dwarf

and she seems well fed.

At this time the Court rules

not to rule.

(Rest)

In closing, whatever happens to her

we should note that

it is very much to the credit of our great country

that even a female Hottentot can find a court to review her

status.

(Rest)

(Rest)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH

HAHAHA.”

The specific inclusion of the court saying “we buy that” in response to the claim that the Venus’s exhibition is part of God’s plan serves to undermine the seriousness of the case, as does the ending of this passage, which is just laughter. The fact that the court is comfortable simply hearing her case, which they perceive will grant them credit in the future, shows the lack of care taken to investigate the Venus’s situation.

“THE BARON DOCTEUR. A friend.

Im yr biggest fan.

THE VENUS. No—

THE BARON DOCTEUR. I find you fascinating.

THE VENUS. No—

THE BARON DOCTEUR. Not like that, Girl.

Im a doctor.

“Doctor.”

Understand?

THE VENUS

THE BARON DOCTEUR

(Rest)

THE VENUS. I understand.

THE BARON DOCTEUR. Ive brought you chockluts. Here.

You like.

He gives her a red heart box of chocolates.

THE VENUS. I like.

THE BARON DOCTEUR. Well.

Lets have a look.

Stand still stand still, sweetheart

I’ll orbit.

Don’t start Ive doctors eyes and hands.

Well.

Extraordinary.”

In the Venus’s first interaction with the Baron Docteur, he coerces her into allowing him to touch her by claiming he does not have a sexual motivation for approaching her. Initially, the Venus clearly fears assault, and, effectively, the Baron Docteur does assault the Venus by touching her under false pretenses.

“THE BARON DOCTEUR. And while my finds are complete compensation

for the amount of labor expended upon them

I do invite you, Distinguished Gentlemen,

Collegues [sic] and yr Distinguished Guests,

if you need relief

please take yourselves uh breather in thuh lobby.

My voice will surely carry beyond these walls and if not

my finds are published. Forthcoming in The Royal

College

Journal of Anatomy.

Merely as an aside, Gentlemen.”

The Baron Docteur addresses the audience directly, allowing them to leave the theater during the intermission, while also essentially promoting the sale of his published work on the Venus. The intermission is largely the notes of Georges Cuvier, and the Baron Docteur’s preface to those notes shows that they are not critical to the narrative so much as their publication is important in establishing the exploitation of the Venus.

“THE BARON DOCTEUR. ‘My love for you is artificial

Fabricated much like this epistle.

Its crafted with my finest powers

To last through the days and the weeks and the hours.’

(Rest)

I made it up myself,

Just this morning.

You like it?

THE VENUS. I love it.

THE BARON DOCTEUR AND THE VENUS. Mmmmmmmmm.”

The poem is stolen from the Young Man in “For the Love of the Venus,” and the Baron Docteur uses it, here, to show how his “love” for the Venus is also artificial, designed from his desire to exploit the Venus both sexually and scientifically. Their joined “Mmmmmmmmm” at the end of the passage shows their mutual satisfaction with one another, though they each have distinct motivations in this relationship.

“THE VENUS. Lemmie see.

THE BARON DOCTEUR. Dont look! Don’t look at me,

Look off

somewhere

Eat yr chockluts

eat em slow

That’s it.

Touch yrself.

Good.

Good.

He’s masturbating. He has his back to her. He sneaks little looks at her over his shoulder. He cums.

THE VENUS. Whyd you do that?

THE BARON DOCTEUR. Im polite.”

The most important element in the Baron Docteur’s masturbation scene is that he insists on the Venus looking away from him, touching herself, and eating her chocolates, while he looks away and “sneaks little looks at her.” This behavior is intended to show how the Baron Docteur is ashamed of his lust for the Venus, which is not linked to an actual connection with her, but with the idea of observing and possessing her.

“THE VENUS. ‘Maceration?’

THE NEGRO RESURRECTIONIST. Footnote #8

Definition: Medical: Maceration

(Rest)

‘A process performed on the subject aft erh subjects death. The subjects body parts are soaked in a chemical solution to separate the flesh from the bones so that the bones may be measured with greater accuracy.’

The Baron Docteur

That’s enough for now.

Gentlemen:

That’s plenty for today and Im sure our lovely subjects

all exhausted.

Put yr hands together, Sires.

Show the Venur yr appreciation.

They applaud politely.”

The issue of maceration in the text shows how the scientists, including the Baron Docteur, intend to use the Venus’s dead body to continue their studies. This implies that the Venus’s existence is itself a “performance” for them, in which they can continue to observe even after the subject of the show is dead. At the end of this passage, they applaud, much as the former crowds of spectators would, linking the scientific observation more directly to the explicit exploitation of the “freak show.”

“THE BARON DOCTEUR. God. Is there anything we can do about it.

Ive a wife. A career.

A reputation. Is there anything

we can do about it we together in

the privacy of my office.

Ive got various equipments in there

we could figure something out.

THE VENUS

THE VENUS

THE VENUS

THE VENUS. Where I come from

its cause for celebration.

THE BARON DOCTEUR. A simple yes or no will do, Girl.

THE VENUS. Yes.”

The conflict between the Venus’s desire for a more real relationship and the Baron Docteur’s lust comes to light in this passage. Upon hearing that the Venus is pregnant, the Baron Docteur suddenly acknowledges his marriage and career, which he has notably ignored up to this point. The pregnancy is a culmination of his lust and ownership over the Venus, which shocks him into realizing the precarious situation he is in. The Venus is confused because the pregnancy should bring her and the Baron Docteur closer together.

“THE VENUS. He spends all his time with me because he loves me.

He hardly visits her at all.

She may be his wife all right but shes all dried up.

He is not thuh most thrilling lay Ive had

but his gold makes up thuh difference and hhhh

I love hum,

He will leave that wife for good and we’ll get married

(we better or I’ll make a scene) oh, we’ll get married.

And we will lie in bed and make love all day long.

Hahahaha.

We’ll set tongues wagging for the rest of the century.

The Docteur will introduce me to Napoleon himself: Oh,

yes yr Royal Highness the Negro question does keep me

awake at night oh yes it does.

Servant girl! Do this and that!

When Im Mistress I’ll be a tough cookie.

I’ll rule the house with an iron fist and have the more

fabulous parties.

Society will seek me out: Where’s Venus? Right here!”

This passage is the climax of the Venus’s “diva” persona, in which she envisions herself in a position of power and control. Notably, she is not satisfied by the Baron Docteur’s sexual performance, but she is less concerned with sexual pleasure than with household power and social respect, both of which she lacks.

“THE GRADE-SCHOOL CHUM. The clap?

From you?

THE BARON DOCTEUR. Perhaps.

(Rest)

It makes my work with her

indecent somehow.

THE GRADE-SCHOOL CHUM. ‘Indecency!’

We could clap her into jail for that.

THE BARON DOCTEUR. We could?

THE GRADE-SCHOOL CHUM. Its up to you of course.

(Rest)

Remember who you are, Sir,

and make the right decision.

Say yes and we’ll have her one by morning.

THE BARON DOCTEUR. There must be some other solution.

THE GRADE-SCHOOL CHUM. We’ll clap her in jail.

And if her clap runs its course, well,

thats fate, Friend.”

The double usage of “clap” in this passage indicates that the sexually transmitted disease and the accusation of indecency are one and the same. The Baron Docteur, though he is the person who may have given the “clap” to the Venus, is immune from this charge, though, because he is in a more stable position in society. The Grade-School Chum immediately sees how they can capitalize on the accusation of indecency, and the implication of this passage is that the Venus died of a sexually transmitted infection.

“THE BARON DOCTEUR. ‘On separating her labia I found these appendages

to be the nymphae elongated.

I took up her appendages

and led the right one round her right side

above her gluteal projection, similarly

I led her left appendage round her left side

and their ends met at her spine.

(Rest)

There was no trace of hymen.

(Rest)

(Rest)

The Remarkable development of the labia minora

which heretofore is so general a characteristic of

the Hottentot or Bushmen race

was so sufficiently well marked that it well distinguished itself

from those of any of the ordinary varieties of the human species.

Again, their difference was so marked

their formation so distinguished

that they formed this studies centerpiece.

This author recommends further examination of said formation.’”

The focus on the Venus’s genitals betrays the true impetus behind her fame in England, as she did not allow anyone to examine her genitals while she was alive. After her death, the Baron Docteur performs this strange practice of stretching her genitalia around her back, as if to simply prove that he sees her body as a kind of toy, rather than as the corpse of his deceased lover.

“THE YOUNG MAN. By these knees Im bending on

True Venus

Im forever thine.

I’ll never change.

Promise me the same.

Uncle, put that on yr tongue then in her tongue then in her ear.

(Rest)

What is her answer?

THE UNCLE. She promises constancy but

as we lose uh skin layer every day

so will she shrug her old self off.

THE YOUNG MAN. Shrug all you want but keep thuh core.

(Rest)

Answer.

She removes her disguise and again becomes The Bride-To-Be.

THE BRIDE-TO-BE. Dearheart: Your true love stands before you.

He gives her a red heart box of chocolates.

Love Tableau.

Curtain.

The Baron Docteur applauds.”

The Young Man’s infatuation with the Venus is temporary, as he simply wants the feeling of having conquered a foreign person. Once he has achieved this feeling, much like the Baron Docteur, who applauds at the end of this passage, he is content to return to the Bride-To-Be as a representation of his purely Eurocentric life.