3-056-201 - The London Archives (City of London)/Heritage Images

The 'Famous Amazons' - performances at the Crystal Palace, 1880. Illustration from an advertisement for 'Natives of Dahomey'. Depicted is an African woman wearing clothes and headdress decorated with cowrie shells and feathers, leaning on a sword. As European awareness of Africa developed in the 19th century, entrepreneurs exploited communities for their own gain. In 1893, over fifty Africans were 'exhibited' at the Crystal Palace in south-east London, including what the advert describes as 'a regiment of women warriors' known as 'The Famous Amazons', who were actually from modern-day Benin.