17. Sara Baartman, the Hottentot Venus, 1810

A documentary film of her life was made in 1998 by a young South African film maker, Zola Maseko: The Life and Times of Sara Baartman - The Hottentot Venus. 'Freak' shows were a feature of life at the time, with Tom Thumb and Daniel Lambert also being popular exhibits, but the public displays of Sara should also be considered in the context of contemporary views and debates about race, racial superiority, the slave trade and slavery.