Vulgar History

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was an English aristocrat, medical pioneer, writer, and poet. She learned about the practice of smallpox inoculation while in the Ottoman Empire, and lobbied to bring the practice to England. We're joined by Sean Lusk, author of A Woman of Opinion, a new novel about Mary's life.

Click here to buy a copy of A Woman of Opinion.

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Hilary Mantel's essay on the importance of historical fiction.

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Support Vulgar History on Patreon 

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Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.

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It's a crossover special! Last month, I went on The Art of Crime to share the story of Princess Caraboo (not her real name). And today, we're playing that episode here in the Vulgar History feed. Gavin Whitehead and I talk about the enigmatic Princess Caraboo, who claimed to be an exotic princess who washed up on English shores in 1817. But who was she really?

Learn more about Gavin's show The Art of Crime at artofcrimepodcast.com

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Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

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Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

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Support Vulgar History on Patreon 

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Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.

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Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, aka Adélaïde Des Vertus was one of the greatest female painters in 18th-century France. The path was not easy for female painters in 18th-century France, especially when you were born working-class like she was. But her knack at making friends, a PR rivalry with another painter, and the excellence of her work ensured she made a living in art... until the French Revolution.

We're joined by Bridget Quinn, author of the recent biography Portrait of a Woman: Art, Rivalry, and Revolution in the Life of Adélaïde Labille-Guiard.

Click here to buy a copy of Bridget's book.

Look at a gallery of Adélaïde's work on her Wikipedia page here.

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Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

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Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

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Support Vulgar History on Patreon 

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Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.

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It's a Halloween special! While the French Revolution turned into The Terror, people still had to keep working their regular jobs, including today's heroine: Madame Tussaud. And along with her mentor, she managed to turn the Terror into big business for her wax museum, such that many people still know her name today!

Joining us is Gavin Whitehead, host of the Art of Crime podcast. Learn more about his show (including his Madame Tussaud series) at artofcrimepodcast.com

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As mentioned in the extro, Leah Redmond Chang's Substack about pregnancy death.

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Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

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Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

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Support Vulgar History on Patreon 

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Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bonus! I'm hard at work right now writing my book Rebel of the Regency, a biography of Caroline of Brunswick (coming in 2026 published by Hanover Square Press!). I want to share part of the journée with you all, which is why I'm posting short podcast updates about it on my Patreon.

This is a preview of one of the episodes, in which friend-of-the-podcast Allison Epstein joins me while I yell about how many Napoleon Bonaparte relatives show up in the Caroline saga.

Subscribe to hear more of these bonus episodes by joining my Patreon (for free) at patreon.com/annfosterwriter

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In this instalment of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Marie Antoinette, we wrap up the saga of a man who Marie Antointte truly hated, the Marquis de Lafayette. And joining us to share the legendary life of this dirtbag (complimentary) is friend of the podcast Allison Epstein!

As mentioned in the episode, here is more info on the French revolutionary calendar.

Allison's new book Fagin the Thief comes out in February 2025. Click here to preorder a copy.

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Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

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Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

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Support Vulgar History on Patreon 

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Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this instalment of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Marie Antoinette, we look at a man who really annoyed her: the Marquis de Lafayette. And joining us to share the legendary life of this dirtbag (complimentary) is friend of the podcast Allison Epstein!

Allison's new book Fagin the Thief comes out in February 2025. Click here to preorder a copy.

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Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

—

Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

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Support Vulgar History on Patreon 

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Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As our discussion of Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution continues, we're looking at the life of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Saint-Georges was a mixed-race man born to an enslaved woman and her enslaver in Guadaloupe. Sent to Paris to be educated, his athleticism and musical gifts made him a celebrity.

We're joined today by Professor Julian Ledford, Assistant Professor of French and French Studies at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.

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References:

The Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Virtuoso of the Sword and the Bow by Gabriel Banat

Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Man of Music and Gentleman-at-Arms: The Life and Times of an Eighteenth-Century Prodigy by Gabriel Banat

Joseph Boulogne, the Chevalier de Saint-George and the Problem With Black Mozart by Julian A. Ledford

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Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

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Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

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Support Vulgar History on Patreon 

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Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.

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We're back on the Marie Antoinette train, and in Season 7 Part 2 the topic is "Meanwhile, Back in France."

We're joined again by Amanda Matta to wrap up the scandalous saga of Madame du Barry.

Follow Amanda on:

TikTok

Instagram

Substack

And keep up with her podcast, The Art of History!

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Reference:

Madame du Barry: The Wages of Beauty by Joan Haslip

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Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

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Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

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Support Vulgar History on Patreon 

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Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back on the Marie Antoinette train, and in Season 7 Part 2 the topic is "Meanwhile, Back in France."

To explain the French royal court system that Marie Antoinette eventually joined, we're taking a look at notorious mistress Madame du Barry in a saga so iconic it can't be contained in one podcast episode.

Our guest this week is everyone's favourite TikTok royal commentator, Amanda Matta!

Follow Amanda on:

TikTok

Instagram

Substack

And keep up with her podcast, The Art of History!

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Reference:

Madame du Barry: The Wages of Beauty by Joan Haslip

—

Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

—

Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

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Support Vulgar History on Patreon 

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Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices