African Queen: The real life story of the Hottentot Venus, Pages 17-33

Summary:
After the death of her child, Saartjie and her young soldier did not last. Fortunately for her, things would begin to work out for the better. A couple of weeks after the death of her child, her master ended up losing his job. Due to the lost of his job, Saartjie was sold to a man name Alexander Dunlop. Dunlop was the man who led Saartjie into stardom and he was the one who made up her whole persona for the stage. It was illegal at the time for an African slave to be transported out of the country. Dunlop had to resort to smuggling Saartjie out of Africa on a boat. He bribed the captain with money. Once in London, Dunlop began his search for London’s most successful museum master. He ended finding this man and presented a commercial proposition to him emphasizing the art found in Saartjie’s body shape and how people would spend 2 shillings just to see what a Hottentot Venus looks like. Unfortonaly he did not take the offer so Dunlop ended up pursuing the set up of Saartjie act on his own.

He found a location right across the street from the Liverpool Museum. This museum was one of the most popular museums because its exhibits included the “freaks” of London. By placing Saartjie’s act right across the street, Dunlop was sure that many people would want to experience the show before or after they visit the exhibit across the street. The next most important thing that Dunlop had to focus on was how he was going to present Saartjie. He decided to have a form- fitting bodysuit made for Saartjie out of stocking material so that it seems as if Saartjie is naked. He wanted to emphasize Saartjie’s body shape which in return would lure people to see her shown to discover if she is real or fake. The third and probly most important thing that Dunlop had to worry about was the act that Saartjie did. He ended up coming up with an act that lasted 2 hours. With in the two hours Saartjie would dance the way she did at rituals, sing, and play the guitar or flute to African folksongs.

Quotation:
Dunlop emphasized, " an object of great curiosity" and arguing that she " would make the fortune of any person by exhibiting her (for the said two years) to the public " ( Holmes 33).

Reflection:
The way in which Dunlop refers to Saartjie makes her seem as if she is Dunlop property. He describes her as if she is not human, as if she is a type of object that he wants to show off and sell. When reading this quote I felt like Saatjie is not human, like she was just some type of exbit located across the street from a famous museum.

I feel simpatic towards Saartjie because she did not have much time to grieve over her child. She also was perceived as a freak of nature or a piece of property. Dunlop had never tried to be apathetic towards Saartjie or try to treat her as a human being. His only concern was how he was going to use the uncommon beauty of Saartjie to make money. It is difficult for me to imagine what life might have been like emotionally for Saartjie. Her mother died at a young age; her father and love died, her child died and her “man” left her and she was no longer considered human, she was either considered a freak or a cash cow.