21st century entertainment all revolves around experiencing a spectacle. Whether this be watching a TV drama, attending concerts, plays and shows, or simply visiting an attraction, we all look towards entertainment to experience something out of the ordinary. The people of Georgian and Victorian societies were no different, as they turned to the freak show instead for entertainment.

The eighteenth and nineteenth century freak show was a major form of entertainment for all walks of life. People who branded themselves as 'giants', 'midgets', 'monsters', 'animal lookalikes', (to name but a few) all marketed and exhibited themselves for money on the European freak show circuit. Whilst we would acknowledge most of the 'freaks' today as simply people with medical conditions, previously 'freaks' were something to be viewed, enjoyed and debated about.

Much like we buy souvenirs in order to preserve the memories of events and experiences we have lived through, visitors to freak shows would also want a reminder to take home with them at the end of the performance. This is where the carte de visites come in. Much like our modern day postcards, carte de visites were professional photographs taken of the performer in question. They usually had a description of the 'freak' somewhere on the card.

Whilst studying the Victorian 'freak show' in depth as part of my second year studies, I came across a couple of carte de visites that really caught my eye:

Julia Pastrana

Julia Pastrana was exhibited by her manager Theodore Lent in the mid nineteenth century. This carte de visite clearly illustrates her 'freakishness'; she gained popularity as she was overly hairy and ape like in appearance. I particularly love that she was dressed in a feminine fashion, as if to emphasize her 'freakishness.' The historian Nadia Durbach even goes as far as to link her womanly clothing and hairy exterior as a deterrent to nineteenth century women; this is what would happen if you didn't conform to the perceived role of women in society.

Incidentally, women with unusual bodies were big business in the 'freak show' circuit. Sara Baartmann, otherwise known as the Hottentot Venus, was widely admired and exhibited due to her large breasts, buttocks and genitalia.

The 1920's 'freak show' performer Artoria Gibbons was renowned for her tattooed body. Tattooed from head to toe, she drew large crowds who were astonished by the art on her body. Women were not expected to have any sort of body ink, so to be covered head to toe was quite something! It's hard to imagine that something we in the 21st century accept and encourage, was so taboo less than 100 years ago!

Artoria Gibbons

Whilst I have focused on the carte de visites of 'female freaks' (women's history seems to be a large area of interest for me), there are plenty of other images of male 'freaks' that are just as interesting and revealing. Just from looking at a couple of carte du visites it seems that we can glean a lot about the nineteenth century 'freak show' circuit. It is clear that attitudes towards women were vastly different to how they are today, and the fact that i am using quotation marks whenever I mention the work 'freak' suggests that as a society we nowadays condone such labeling of people. But one thing does remain today; we all love to witness a spectacle in our down time, and we all love to take home a piece of the action to show others. Perhaps before we condone the immorality of the 'freak show' we should all acknowledge that  the type of entertainment on offer changes with time, but our need to consume and hold onto it stays the same.

Fun history-related gifts are kind of hard to come by, most people think that its a category confined to books and 'the day you were born' newspaper excerpts. But there is so much more out there! Here are my five favourites from around the internet...

This week (1st-8th January 2016) I read If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home by Lucy Worsley. For those of you who don't know, this was the first book in my 2016 50 Book Challenge. Here's what I thought of it:


After spending a term studying the ins and outs of Victorian society, I decided to pick up this social history. I had read and seen some of Worsley's works before, so I knew that this read would be well written and engaging from the beginning.

I have a miraculous ability to buy more history books than I can plausibly read at any one time. I tell myself that I don't need any more EVERY time I visit a bookshop, but oh no, I don't listen. This is me, banning myself from buying anymore until I have read these 5...

The 5 books I've decided to tackle. Trust me, I have loads more, but I'm going to start slowly!

1. The Smell of the Continent: The British Discover Europe, by Richard Mullen and James Munson.

I love reading history, but as I do so much of it for my degree I often find myself reluctant to read it in my spare time. Yet this new year there seems to be many new history-based dramas coming to our screens, all of which will give me the opportunity to broaden my horizons without having to digest more literature than I already am.

So here's my 3 picks of dramas worth watching, both old and new, along with a related book which you may want to read if you find yourself inspired!

1. War and Peace, Sundays 9pm, BBC One (six episodes).

Like many I have never read Tolstoy's War and Peace; its seriously long and whilst I own the book, I've never had the patience! But this adaptation is only 6 hours long altogether, and is broken down into manageable 1 hour episodes, so I'm definitely giving it a go. Set in 1805 after Napoleon's invasion of Austria, the story follows three main characters as they negotiate Russia's entrance into the war against France. Whilst it focuses on these three people, it shall certainly give a broad view of what Napoleonic war was like, and the ideology of Napoleon himself.

Give Napoleon The Great by Andrew Roberts a read if you fancy discovering more about Napoleon and his legacy.

War and Peace promo poster, (found at http://www.finalreel.co.uk)

Napoleon the Great, by Andrew Roberts

   


















2. Deutschland 83, Sundays 9pm, Channel 4 (8 episodes).

I love German history dramas, particularly those relating to the Berlin Wall and the East German Communist regime. This probably has something to do with studying it during my German A Level and hearing stories first hand from my teacher. Deutschland 83 is a spy drama, focusing on one man's mission as an undercover Stasi spy in the West. And it's German with English subtitles, so watching this will be an education of two halves; history and language.

Photo from https://mrspeabodyinvestigates.files.wordpress.com

Pick up 1989 The Berlin Wall, My Part in it's Downfall by Peter Millar if you want to read more into life inside of East Germany and the eventual downfall of the East Communist Regime.

Read more about this at http://thoroughlymodernhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2014_01_01_archive.html

3. Downton Abbey, ITV, available on DVD and through streaming services, (6 seasons and various specials).

If you haven't heard of Downton Abbey by now, then where have you been? Having aired it's last episode on Christmas Day 2015, this show is a must see. Downton Abbey charts the life of both the residents and servants of Downton Abbey from the early 1900's, through WW1, until New Years Eve 1925. Whilst storylines and relationships in the show are created and exaggerated for the entertainment factor, this show does well at highlighting major poltical, social and cultural changes in the first half of the nineteenth century, including the decline in the service industry, aristocracy, and changing attitudes to women and class. It's a typical Sunday night drama, with a twist.

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey, by Countess Canarvon is a great easy read if you want to immerse yourself in the life of those who inspired Downton Abbey.

Downton Abbey

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey, by Countess Carnarvon

So that was just 3 of my picks for the new year. What are your recommendations? Have I missed anything fantastic? Let me know in the comments! 

Happy 2016 world! 

I've been making New Years resolutions for a good ten years now. Like many others, I've not been very good at keeping them. But I'm hoping that this year this won't be the case!

Inspired by YouTuber and blogger Hannah Witton, I've decided to give the 50 book challenge a go, with the aim of having read 50 books by the end of 2016. Perhaps documenting my progress on here will motivate me to keep going!

If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home, by Lucy Worsley is the first book I have chosen. I've dipped in and out of her work for undergraduate essays, so I can't wait to read this in full.

Hi. Hannah here a.k.a alittlebitbroadway on YouTube

Well hey there! My name's Hannah. You don't really know all that much about me so I'll start by saying, I'm 15, I like music, writing and warm hugs... and Frozen. I'm not ashamed to say that!!

So, today's post is going to be about something major in the modern world, something which I think should be discussed. Feminism. Yes, I know this is a very controversial topic of discussion and most likely top in the list of "things to avoid in your first blog posts", however my take on it is not your typical passionate speech type of thing. I am going to tell you about my life outside feminism.

Now, before I start, I want to clear something up. I believe that men and women should be equal. I do not support gender inequality in any way and I have great admiration for feminists. But, as much as I love the pride we as a sex have for who we are, I do not class myself as a feminist.

Now, I'm pretty sure at least half of the people reading this won't like my opinion there and that's fine. That's good actually. You see, the reason why I don't class myself as a feminist is because I believe in the individual happiness of every person, rather than fighting for something which won't make every person happy. I know it will make 90 percent of people happy but there are some who believe one gender to be superior to any other genders. Therefore, they would not agree with equal rights for all, nor would they agree with feminism.

Let me explain myself better. Everyone is entitled, not just to their own opinion, but to an opinion which they are proud of and believe wholeheartedly in. If people are happy with their own beliefs then I'm happy not fighting for something which might deprive them of that happiness, however wrong everyone else might believe that opinion to be. I am happy with the world we live in, though not always fully satisfied with the actions of a few people in it. It's not that I don't want equal rights, it's just that at the moment I feel that I have equal rights, personally. Therefore, I wouldn't class myself as a feminist because I can't see the destruction gender equality causes.

Of course, now most of you will be saying, "Hannah, that's so selfish!" "Hannah, do you know the facts, the statistics?" And my answer to that is yes. Yes, I do know about the horrible gap between pay, I know about the percentages and proportions and I do care about them. I do care about helping others in the battle against discrimination and I do care about and fully support those who fight, not just for their own rights, but for the rights of others as well. I admire them.

To me, feminism is a personal battle. It requires life experience and a lot of guts. In the past, I have had someone say to me, "Are you a feminist?" And when I've said no, they've said to me, "Well, you're not a real girl then." So, let me get this straight. If I'm not a feminist, is it right to say I can't be part of my own gender? Am I to be categorised by a belief I should hold, but don't? What are we fighting for here - gender equality for only those who fight, or gender equality for all? Now, answer me this. How can we fight for equality between men and women, if there isn't equality between women alone?

There's a television advert in the UK called This Girl Can. I expect other countries have seen it too - it's all over YouTube. It's a very inspiring, beautiful and motivational advert, showing women competing, doing sports and lots of other activities which show off what they can do. I think it's great, so great that women are speaking up, being given a chance at anything they want to do and I'm glad that we're reaching a stage where women can do whatever they want to do, no matter what that entails. Every day at school, we're encouraged to take science and maths, showing universities what tough, powerful, inspirational women we are.

But that's just it. Do you have to do that to be one of those "awesome girls"? Do you have to be a doctor, lawyer, physicist or accountant to be tough, powerful and inspirational? Are women getting equal rights by doing things society has classed as "manly jobs"? And what happens to those of us who aren't any good at maths or science, or have more interest in music than maths, who place art and design over chemistry? Where do we fit in with this ever-changing society? Sometimes at school, I'll be told it's "wise to take maths A-Level" because it's "more impressive" and "employers regard it highly". So, does taking English Literature make me less impressive? Do drama and music make me less employable? Because every subject, every skill, every gift teaches you something. And, as every person is unique, no one else can do what you can do. "This Girl Can" tells girls they can do all the things we've been told we can't. But what about those things we can do already? We seem to be falling into the mindset that, unless you take science and maths, unless you play sport and want to go into well-respected, highly paid profession, "you're not a real girl".

So, here comes the real point of my post. I'm here to say that yes, feminism is fantastic. Yes, you can take science, maths, sport and do all those amazing jobs which women simply didn't have the chance to do a few years ago. Yes, I am so proud and supportive of you if you are a feminist. But I'm also so proud of you if you're not. I'm proud of you if you, like me, don't want to put your name down for something you don't fully understand or necessarily want to believe in. I'm proud of you if you've realised that feminism is, at first, a personal battle; that, to begin with, you have to feel worthy yourself, so you have the strength to fight for others. I'm so proud of you if you dropped out of school and threw your calculator over a cliff!! If that made you happy, that was the right thing for you at the time.

So yes, maybe in 5 years time I'll call myself a feminist. I'll be happy to say, "I am fighting for global gender equality". But for now, I want to be accepted for my passions. I want to know that, even though I want to act and sing and write, I am still a "real girl". I want there to be equality amongst everyone, not just between genders. I want finding personal happiness to be a priority for everyone, because only then can we fight for others as well. Above all, I want to know acceptance and know that This Girl Can do whatever the hell she wants to do.