Vulgar History

Dec 10 2024 219 ep. 68 mins 477
Vulgar History Podcast artwork

A feminist women's history comedy podcast hosted by Ann Foster. How do you solve a problem like Marie Antoinette?

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Was Shakespeare's Dark Lady A Witch? (with Mary McMyne)

Dec 10 2024 58 mins  
William Shakespeare dedicated many of his sonnets to someone known only as the Dark Lady. Novelist Mary McMyne imagines that this was maybe a witch named Rose in her new novel, A Rose by Any Other Name. Mary joins us to talk about her book, and Shakespeare, in this week's episode! Click here to buy a copy of A Rose By Any Other Name. — Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and a

Cassie Chadwick, The Greatest Grifter of the Gilded Age (with Annie Reed)

Dec 03 2024 60 mins  
Cassie Chadwick, one of history's most successful con artists, was a master of reinvention. In the dusk of the Gilded Age, she swept from town to town, assuming fresh identities to swindle a fortune so large that it rivaled the robber barons of the time. Annie Reed, author of a new biography of Cassie Chadwick, joins us to share the saga of one of history's earliest scam goddesses.

The Forgotten Sluts and Shrews Who Shaped America (with Therese Oneill)

Nov 26 2024 58 mins  
Slut. Shrew. Sinful. Scold. The 19th- and early 20th-century American women profiled in Therese Oneill's new book Unbecoming A Woman were called all these names and worse when they were alive. And that’s just fine. Therese joins us to celebrate these women who forever changed what women can become. Click here to buy a copy of Unbecoming A Lady: The Forgotten Sluts and Shrews Who

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (with Sean Lusk, author of A Woman of Opinion)

Nov 19 2024 71 mins  
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. — Hilary Mantel's essay on t

The Art of Crime: Princess Caraboo (with Gavin Whitehead)

Nov 12 2024 58 mins  
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 Gavi

Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (with Bridget Quinn)

Nov 05 2024 108 mins  
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 th

Madame Tussaud (with Gavin Whitehead)

Oct 29 2024 94 mins  
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.

Ann Is Writing A Book: Rebel of the Regency: The Napoleon of it all

Oct 24 2024 51 mins  
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 wh

Marquis de Lafayette, part two (with Allison Epstein)

Oct 22 2024 77 mins  
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 Fag

Marquis de Lafayette, part one (with Allison Epstein)

Oct 15 2024 77 mins  
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. — Get 15% off all the gorgeous j