Sarah (sometimes Saartijie) Baartman was born at the end of the eighteenth-century in South Africa. She was born into the Khoikhoi people who were known in England at the time as the Hottentots (now a derogatory term).

Little is known for definite about her life in Africa. It has been suggested that she was a widow and that she worked as a “servant” for a Dutch (Boer) household. What is known about her life mainly comes from the court case that took place in 1810, brought by the African Institute.

According to Hendik Cesar, he “procured” Sarah from a group of Boers (South Africans of Dutch origin). Cesar then seems to have worked with a middle-man, Alexander Dunlop, who tried to interest the owner of the Liverpool Museum in Piccadilly, London in purchasing her. Dunlop offered the owner of the “museum” Sarah for two years, in a deal which also involved a leopard skin. It seems as if this deal fell through.

From the report of the case in the newspapers, it seems clear that Cesar treated Sarah as his property. However, he did claim that he had a contract with Sarah, which she had willingly signed, and that she received a share of the profits.

Cesar brought Sarah to London and began to show her in Piccadilly at the price of 2 shillings per person. Sarah looked like she was naked during the showings and members of the audience were encouraged to touch her.

The court struggled to get a statement from Sarah. She did not speak any English and she refused to talk to translators in front of Cesar. When she was eventually interviewed alone, she confirmed Cesar’s story that she had a contract, she was given a share of the profits and that she was happy.

Morning Chronicle, 26 November 1810

Report of case at Court of King’s Bench

Affidavit of Mr McCartney, Secretary of the African Institution

This gentleman went to the place of exhibition, where he found an elevated stage, with a recess, out of which the female in question came, dressed in a thin tight dress, almost the colour of her person, so as to make it appear as much as possible that she was naked.

…this unfortunate female was shewn as any beast, as a bear led by a chain. Her keeper ordered her to place herself in any position he desired, and she was obliged to obey. That she was in a state of absolute control, was apparent; but that she was happy or comfortable, under her confinement, or was willingly so confined, it was equally plain was not the case. Through she could not converse with any one, it was impossible to observe her gestures – to hear her deep sighs – to mark the sullen reluctance with which, when exhausted, she complied with the mandate of her keeper to play on a musical instrument, and not to be satisfied that she was unhappy, uncomfortable, and under a system of restraint, which could not be tolerated in this country.

After the court case, Sarah was taken on a tour of provincial cities. There are newspaper reports of showings in Bristol, Hull and Ipswich. While in Manchester in 1811, it was reported that she had been baptised and married.

Although the year is not printed on this advertisement, it is possible to work out that it appeared in 1813. Flesh Market was the area of Newcastle where many of the butchers had their businesses. It was often quite an unpleasant part of any town or city. The text seems to refer to the court case of 1810, as it mentions:

…the malicious reports circulated to her disadvantage, after her arrival in this Kingdom, but which have long since proved to be groundless.

She was moved to Paris in September 1814 and was once again exhibited.

Sarah died in Paris on 2 January 1816. Some of the newspaper reports suggest that she died of small pox. After her death, her body was dissected and plaster casts taken of her body. These moulds were put on display in the Musée de l’homme (Museum of Man) in Paris. The exhibition of Sarah’s body was eventually taken down in 1974 and her remains were buried in South Africa in 2002.

The lower case letter “s” on this poster looks like the letter “f”. This is typical of the time.