Golden Leg

History

This hefty device is inspired by the solid gold leg that the main character demands in Thomas Hood’s narrative poem Miss Kilmansegg and Her Precious Leg (1840-41). Unfortunately for Miss Kilmansegg, in Hood’s poem she is eventually bludgeoned to death with her own prosthesis by her cruel and greedy husband. For more on Miss Kilmansegg and how her leg was used by real-life prosthesis makers in their advertising materials, see chapter 3 of Ryan Sweet’s free 2022 book Prosthetic Body Parts in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture.