The human zoo - shocking entertainment of Europeans in the 19th century

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Who lives in the menagerie? Elephants and giraffes, bears and tigers, as well as Bushmen, Indians, Eskimos, Zulus, Nubians … It sounds scary, but a century ago, Europe flourished human zooswhere one could see homo sapiens, intelligent people, but who lived far from "civilization". Everyone came to see the ethnological expositions - from young to old. Immigrants from Asia and Africa were often placed in aviaries with monkeys, because it was believed that these people were a transitional link in Darwin's theory of evolution.

Human zoos were organized in different cities. Antwerp, London, Barcelona, Paris, Milan, New York, Warsaw, Hamburg and St. Petersburg - wherever people have exhibitions. As a rule, hundreds of thousands of visitors came to look at the "outlandish" natives. But the "village of blacks" at the Paris World Exhibition of 1889 was seen by more than 28 million (!) People.

As a rule, representatives of "unusual" (in the opinion of the civilized world) nationalities were forcefully removed from their lands, and then demonstrated to the amazed public. They often recreated authentic settlements, erected huts, and appointed leaders of a tribe or community. As a rule, the management of zoos tried to independently assign roles, but this did not always work out, and sometimes the natives themselves began to "direct" their staged life.

People's exhibitions were very popular with the Germans. Here, of course, a significant role was played by the enthusiasm for the ideas of social Darwinism, which swept the intelligentsia in the 19th century. Bismarck and Emperor Wilhelm II visited black villages with interest.

As a rule, the newly arrived inhabitants of the zoos were carefully studied, trying to determine their belonging to one of the "natural peoples". For this, measurements of the skull were made, the shape of the nose, the color of the skin were recorded, and the features of the tongue were studied. In conclusion, an official document was issued, guaranteeing the owner of the authenticity of the native acquired by him.

In the wake of general interest in the way of life and way of life of exotic peoples, anthropological research began to actively develop, however, the fact of the existence of such human zoos is no less terrifying. What seems immoral today did not previously cause any disturbing feelings among those who like to entertain themselves with a walk along the cages with people. Such zoos disappeared by the middle of the 20th century, although even in post-war Europe there was a case when a Congolese village was put on public display.

Amazingly, visiting human zoos is not the only shocking entertainment for Europeans. The morgue was a favorite meeting place and stroll for Parisians in the 19th century..