Lady Godiva of the Steppe

Adah Isaacs Mencken is not a household name today, but in her time (the mid-1800s), it certainly was. She was an actor, a poet, a painter, and a lover to many, but her greatest claim to fame was her performance in Tchaikovsky’s opera Mazeppa, for which she rode a horse, bareback, wearing only a bodysuit.

Scandalous? In 1863, yes, as historian Barbara Foster explains.

Find out more on Monday’s episode of Vox Tablet. (Plus: photo slideshow!)