"VULGARITY AND OBSCENITY ARE NOT IN THE BODY": FIRST EDITION OF SUFFRAGETTE VICTORIA WOODHULL'S THE HUMAN BODY THE TEMPLE OF GOD, 1890

WOODHULL, Victoria Claflin and CLAFLIN, Tennessee C. The Human Body The Temple of God; Or, The Philosophy of Sociology… Together with Other Essays. &c., &c. Also Press Notices of Extemporaneous Lectures Delivered Throughout America and England From 1869 to 1882. London: (Victoria C. Woodhull), 1890. Octavo, original gilt-stamped purple cloth. $1850.

First edition this 19th-century lecture on the body and religion as seen through a progressive lens, along with various political and women's rights essays and press notices.

Victoria Woodhull and her sister, Tennessee Claflin were two of the most interesting personalities of the 19th century. Advocates for women's rights, women's suffrage, free love, and labor reform, the sisters originally made their mark as the first female stockbrokers on Wall Street. Although they were curiosities often mocked by the papers, Woodhull and Claflin made their clients—including Cornelius Vanderbilt—millions in the stock market. They used their personal earning to found a progressive weekly newspaper that promoted their views. It was also instrumental in advertising Woodhull's bid to become President of the United States. Shortly before the election, however, the paper ran into trouble when it reported on an affair between Elizabeth Tilton and Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, the progressive Protestant minister who had hypocritically condemned free love. Woodhull, her then-husband, and her sister were all thrown into jail on obscenity charges. They were acquitted, but Woodhull was soundly trounced in the election. Soon after, Woodhull left for England after she and her sister were paid by William Henry Vanderbilt to leave the country to prevent them from interfering in the distribution of his father's will. "The Human Body; The Temple of God" was part of Woodhull's repertoire of public lectures. Originally delivered in America, Woodhull deemed the speech equally suitable for British audiences and began delivering it nationwide when she arrived in England in 1877. While the name of the lecture was scandalous, at least for the Victorian era, the contents were much less so. Woodhull offered a "conservative lecture on physical hygiene and religion. She advised… mothers to inform their children about sex" (Meade, Free Woman: The Life and Times of Victoria Woodhull). Nevertheless, Woodhull's heavily advertised speech was regarded as progressive and those who attended her lecture left satisfied. The press, in particular, noted her impressive skills as an orator. That lecture, along with other essays focused on women's rights and politics and press notices, was published in this 1890 first edition. Woodhull became more conservative over time, embracing Christianity and condemning many of her former positions.

Only occasional foxing to interior, expert repairs to text block and joints, slight fading to cloth with monir cloth restoration. An extremely good copy.