Venus

The 8 Human Wonders comment that the Venus is handling the spotlight well, but they think she will be disappointed to find out that she is not free after her two-year contract ends. The Mother-Showman directs the Venus to turn and act livelier as she tells the crowd about her “heathen” background. The Mother-Showman tells the Venus to dance, clapping to keep time. The Negro Resurrectionist presents Footnote #4, an advertisement from a newspaper. In the advertisement, parties of 12 or more are directed to arrange meetings with the Venus one day early, while individuals may request private meetings any time between 10 am and 10 pm without notice. The advertisement adds that a woman can attend to them if they desire.

Spectators hand money to the Mother-Showman, who continues to exclaim about the Venus’s body. The Mother-Showman asks if the crowd ever feels sad, encouraging them to lift their spirits by looking at the Venus. The Mother-Showman claims the Venus has learned nothing from civilization, and she kicks the Venus repeatedly. When the Mother-Showman is tired of kicking the Venus, she claims that the Venus’s people, the Hottentots, kick each other as a kind of language, and she forces the Venus to corroborate this