Hi Audrey, thanks so much, she just fascinated me for years, so I had to go and find out more about her, thanks again, nell. Indeed, in the world of the freak show bearded ladies often found admirers and husbands. But she was anything but a freak, she could cook and sew, sing romance songs, and even better, hold an intelligent conversation which impressed the gentry, in a time when women were not treated as intelligent human beings. After the death of his wife and child, he sold the bodies for 500 and they were sent for embalming at Moscow University with a view to their preservation in the Universitys Anatomical Museum. They looked nothing like the pictures displayed outside their cubicles. She had great poise. At last Julia Pastrana has come home. Not a lot is known about her early childhood, but she first appeared in public, when, in 1854, she was brought out and exhibited at the Gothic Hall on Broadway. Eventually, Lent got fed up of It and hired her out to the person who would pay the most for the privilege. Only five days later, Julia was dead. I like to think it did, but we dont know for sure.. Nell Rose (author) from England on December 04, 2018: Thanks for reading it Charity, and glad you liked it. As usual anyone who is different is seen as freakish. Her looks resembled an ape. Times were much different then and it is easy to say they were being gawked at and used but the same thing happens today just slightly differently. Her body was "stuffed",[18] as noted by renowned naturalist and taxidermist Charles Darwin. They were also Mexican Indians. It is her persona, talents, charisma and courage she should be remembered for, and you captured those qualities beautifully here. Or do we? I've heard of this woman and of other people with the same sad disorder. So we come to the end. From University to museum, from curiosity stands to freak shows, Julia was passed around and around. The newborn would only survive a little over a day after his birth and he had inherited the condition that made his mother famous he too was covered in dark hair. I had read quite a bit about Julia Pastrana before ina book "Very pecial People" but not as in depth as you provide here. This Idea came from Lent, who suddenly realized that if he didn't want to lose her, he had better marry her himself. According to Dr Woolf, this description probably went a long way towards many people denying Pastrana her humanity. I wonder if she was related to that family of Mexicans who were covered with hair. [16] The process was a blend of taxidermy techniques and embalming chemicals. He named her Zenora Pastrana. Theodor Lent became more and more aggressive, and by the time they had toured through Poland and Russia, Julia realized that she was pregnant. But she had dignity. During her life, Pastrana's management arranged to have her examined by doctors and scientists, using their evaluations in advertisements to attract a larger audience. Pastrana's body has since been relocated to Sinaloa, and was buried in a cemetery in Sinaloa de Levya in February 2013. Oh no. External Links I remember as a child visiting the travelling side shows at the carnivals and hearing the barkers call out "See the bearded lady" and their recruiting for other similar attractions. She had a great thirst for knowledge and willingly gave herself up to a medical examination. Then, unexpectedly, Lent had a mental breakdown and ended up in the towns local mental sanatorium. In her world, there is no detritus and everything (everyone) is charged with potential. Pastrana, who was born in Mexico in 1834, had two rare diseases: generalized hypertrichosis lanuginosa, which caused her face and body to be covered in hair, and gingival hyperplasia, which. ugliest woman in the world (according to her owner). I hope some day she gets the proper burial that she deserves. The only parts of her body not covered in hair was the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet. This lasted for more than 10 years, Dr Woolfe said. Fig. Not much is known about Pastranas early life which was plagued by rumours: she was left to die in a forest but was rescued or that she was sold into show business. Her husband would not let go of her earning potential that easily. I admire her courage to stand in front of a crowd and sing perhaps knowing that she would be ridiculed by others, but what could she do. It's her face and she is stuck with it pretty much. I didn't know who Julia Pastrana was prior to reading this. The mummified bodies of Pastrana and her son were absent from the public eye for a number of years. More by Allison Meier. Julia Pastrana Online presents historical documents (newspaper advertisements, marriage records, pamphlets, etc.) I'm glad Julia is finally at peace. Voted up more and sharing, great job! But Julia Pastrana, of course, was no beast. how awful was that? [6] At first, Pastrana performed under the management of J.W. Julia Pastrana was a famous sideshow performer in her day, but her celebrity was marred by racism and bigotry. Many freak performers faced lives of destitution or dependency but, in the freak show, they were often celebrated performers who made comfortable livings. I'd never heard of Julia or her condition before and your depiction of her life is both compelling and heart warming. Barbata discovered her story in 2003, whenAmphibian Stage Productions, a theater company directed by her sister Kathleen Culebro, invited her to collaborate on designs for the New York premiere of the playThe True History of the Tragic Life and the Triumphant Death of Julia Pastrana, the Ugliest Woman in the World by Shaun Prendergast. thanks so much for reading, cheers nell. seriously, thanks for reading, and yes people back then were seen as animals, makes me so mad. Her last words were apparently: I die happy; I know I have been loved for myself. But Lents actions suggest otherwise. In April 1854 she left Snchez, having been persuaded by a showman to perform in America, and in December 1854, at the Gothic Hall musical theater on Broadway, she was billed as the Marvelous Hybrid or Bear Woman. She was said to be a skilled performer, who could dance, sing, act and speak multiple languages. Silver Fish from Edinburgh Scotland on May 04, 2014: Amazing hub, loved reading this. The Root-Diggers lived with animals and couldnt tell them apart from their own kind, a further insinuation of bestial copulation(accusations commonly aimed at Africans onstage). Her embalmed baby was never found.. Poor woman. Nell Rose (author) from England on September 21, 2012: Hi Levertis, I think you are right there, these days its against the law I believe to exploit people with birth defects, but back then it was a common thing, and in fact some people, not all of them actually put themselves into the circus so that they could earn a living, and were annoyed when the law changed to stop them, but of course that was desperation on their part to earn money, Julia Pastrana never really had a choice, thanks so much for reading, nell. His reaction was ultimately one of wonder and he saw Pastrana as simply wonderful. I'm glad she was finally laid to rest it was so long overdue. Thanks so much Deborah, I wrote this after reading about her years and years ago, and she seemed to stay in my mind, I just suddenly realised that I wanted to know more about her and what happened to her in the end, I am so glad you liked it, and thanks! Munby, however, actively pondered Darwinian thinking he bought into the idea that Julia could, perhaps, be the product of an unholy union between ape and man. People are judgmental and can be mean. He noted that she or it was intelligent with a fine voice who could speak three languages. Julia was then moved and the same thing happened again. Dr Woolfs book also explores the reactions of two men who went to Pastranas exhibition. Hi diane, you may be right there, its a sad story but one that fascinated me, thanks so much as always, nell, I say that she has nothing on me Nell -lol - the homeliest man on hubpages - lol - and Marvin Hamlisch wrote a song about you once Nell called - Nobody does it better - and you are a world class writer and hub superstar all of the way - sending you warm wishes and good energy and sharing this to the FB group Music and Writing - sending you warm wishes and good energy from lake erie ontario canada 11:37pm. She spent her life being paraded onstage as one of the most popular freaks in the world, which continued even after she died. This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 11:05. Hi The Annoying Life, love the name! I believed that Julia needed to recover her dignity and to occupy her own place in history as well as in our memory, Barbata stated. charity mtisi from Johannesburg on December 04, 2018: Its a relief that she was finally laid to rest. Not many people believed that these mummies could possibly be real. The literature provided by the sideshow that first purchased her said that Pastrana was born in Mexico in August of 1834. yes I believe that Julia should have a proper burial with a statue above it to show the world how wonderful she was, thanks so much for reading, and I am glad you liked it, cheers nell, You have provided the spice in my coffee this morning. A special permit was required to gain access to her remains.[1]. Don't have an account? It is amazing what some people would do for money. However, during her performances, she demonstrated her intelligence and talent: singing, dancing, and interacting with the audience.[10]. its 4.20 in the afternoon here, with grey clouds and rain! But even when dead, white men continued to profit off of her body. Culiacn. To put it bluntly, by suppressing the truth of Pastranas story, showmen could peddle the claim that she was the product of an unholy union between man and beast: Her Remarkable Formation, and Mysterious Parentage, claimed one piece of publicity, and how she was Discovered in a Cave, suckled by her Indian Mother, Dwelling with Baboons, Bears, and Monkeys., According to the press, the delicate inference is obvious, but this didnt stop Lent hammering home the point. The press, who were given a private view along with men of medicine, praised her very pretty whiskers, double gums, and strange set of teeth, declaring that she dresses with great taste in rich Spanish and other costumes, and after each performance comes among the audience to converse and answer questions.. Looking at the image of Julia she looked like an African cross bread with an Indian. I also admire her and think she must have been such an amazing lady. Suzette Walker from Taos, NM on May 04, 2014: Wow, Nell! [17] Although generically referred to as a "mummy" by some authors, her preserved body was technically not a mummy because it was not mummified. [21][22] The production was nominated for five Melbourne Green Room Awards. Thank you for sharing this story. Thank you for reading. Literature produced by those who managed the freak shows she appeared in described her as belonging to a Native American tribe called "Root Diggers" whose members were similar to apes and lived in caves. Julia's mummie disappeared over the next few decades. yes Lent was an evil man, and thank goodness got what he deserved in the end, thanks so much for reading, nell. What cemented the marriage? As for Lent, Pastrana would not be his last bearded wife; in the 1860s he married Marie Bartel, a bearded lady from Germany. When will we learn to be kind? Freak shows have been common for many centuries. Suzanne Ridgeway from Dublin, Ireland on August 31, 2012: What an incredible story, so much sadness and this gentle lady does deserve respect at last. In that last year, when another theft occurred, Julias corpse was stolen. But she was also subjected to multiple intrusive examinations as doctors tried to reveal the mystery behind her appearance one doctor claimed she was the result of mating between a human and an orangutan, while another stated that she was a distinct species., Others agreed that she was just a normal woman with a disease.. :). thanks! So pleased her journey has ended though. She was described as sociable and polite, and, besides being undoubtedly the greatest living curiosity, she is a lady in every respect, with scientific men, ladies and children being highly used by her strange appearance, her dancing and singing. She danced the Highland fling, performed English and Spanish songs and conversed easily with the audience. lol! They went on to have a child and just before she died, she allegedly said, I die happy; I know I have been loved for myself. We dont know much about their relationship, so why discount love?, LJ Charleston is a freelance journalist. At the Regent Gallery Pastrana could be seen three times a day, for the price of 3 shillings from the stalls, 2 shillings from the area and 1 shilling from the gallery. This story made me tear up. Nell Rose (author) from England on August 31, 2012: Hi Thomas, yes he certainly was! Marco Ferreri's film The Ape Woman (1964) is based on Pastrana's life story. Hyperallergic is a forum for serious, playful, and radical thinking about art in the world today. Julia's last words on her deathbed were: "I die happy. By Charles Wilson Feb. 11, 2013 Her own husband called her a "bear woman." An 1854 advertisement in The New York Times said she was the "link between mankind and the ourang-outang." She became. Although now we can look back and think that she was treated badly in life and in death, perhaps she wasn't. In 1976 and 1979, the fairground in Oslo was broken into and the corpses damaged. He renamed her Zenora Pastrana, luring in audiences with the claim that she was Julias younger sister. Today we find the behavior of Julia's promoters deplorable, whereas in years past, exploitation was perfectly acceptable for many. Darwins On the Origin of Species complicated the relationship between ape and man by suggesting that the two were placed on an evolutionary scale. Victorian audiences, eager for circuses and freak shows, flocked to her shows, while scientists also marveled over Pastranas condition. using unknown embalming techniques - mummified the bodies of Julia and her son.The entire process took six months and the results, while macabre, were impressive.Unlike the mummies of . Realising that she would earn him lots of money, he decided to start showing her to the public, A quote from the time stated her as, The Great Freak of Nature. She appeared again in Hitlers Germany where she was put on display in the occupied territories. cfin from The World we live in on May 04, 2014: This is so sad. It affected her very deeply in her heart with sadness, Otto related. Nell Rose (author) from England on July 10, 2012: Hi Teresa, thanks so much for reading, yes Julia Pastrana was a very unique person, and I hope one of these days that she will have a statue or some sort of commemorative piece to honor her, thanks so much, nell. Then again, this was never a neat distinction unlike actors today who move between characters, Pastrana played one role which she literally embodied.. It was a ten-year effort to repatriate Pastrana, with Barbata writing letters tothe National Research Ethics Committee for the Social Sciences and Humanities, the National Committee for Ethical Evaluation of Research on Human Remains of Norway, the Governor of Sinaloa in Mexico, the Foreign Affairs Department of Mexico, the University of Oslo, journalists, artists, and anthropologists. By Bess Lovejoy. [1] She was born with a genetic condition, hypertrichosis terminalis (or generalized hypertrichosis lanuginosa[2]); her face and body were covered with straight black hair. The remains were consumed by mice. A condition known as hypertrichosis terminalis caused her body and face to be covered with long, dark hair; andgingival hyperplasia enlarged her gums and lips. What many people don't realise is that at the time of Slavery, the Turks came over to England, Wales and Ireland and took many of us Brits as slaves, they were treated appallingly, but for some reason history has decided to wipe the truth clean, and of course it still happens today in some of those countries, maybe one day we will learn to treat each other with respect, thanks so much for reading Juliet, glad you liked it, nell. Much of Pastranas life is still shrouded in mystery. The bill at her early shows claimed that her people resembled apes and lived in caves, and Pastrana was only brought to the sideshow when a woman named Mrs. Espinosa who was captured and held hostage by Pastranas tribe escaped, and took Julia Pastrana with her. Julia has been reborn among us. She was a human being and such claims would be hurtful to any of us; more so in the Victorian context when people were furiously debating the relationship between ape and man. Even after she and her baby died. In the 19th century, one such human curiosity was the "bearded lady.". All times AEDT (GMT +11). Julia finally went home but without her baby who was also human. I sometimes wonder: did Lents later insanity derive from some form of guilt? Sheila Brown from Southern Oklahoma on June 18, 2012: This is a very well written and interesting story. Maybe she could draw a distinction between her freak show persona, The Baboon Lady, and her identity offstage as Julia Pastrana. In 1855, Pastrana was married to Theodore Lent, who saw her as a path to fortune and fame. Freak shows, although now politically incorrect and unpopular, gave unique people a stage and they were made stars. Nell Rose (author) from England on April 22, 2017: Thanks so much Lauren, glad you liked it. [12] Another, Dr. S. Brainerd of Cleveland, declared that she was of a "distinct species". But her death did little to stop the freak show from continuing; Pastrana was embalmed, along with her baby. One big happy family then. 1. Barbatas art is often long-term and participatory, engaging in practices such asstilt-dancing in Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico, and papermaking in the Amazon of Venezuela. Buckland was influenced by natural theology which asserted the centrality of God in nature. It was only following a protracted campaign that Julia was finally brought back to Mexico and buried with dignity. Sadly, Pastrana didnt survive either, dying a couple of days after her baby. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. But it doesn't finish here. Thanks to the efforts of Sinaloa state governor Mario Lpez Valdez, New York-based visual artist Laura Anderson Barbata, and Norwegian authorities, Julia Pastrana was finally repatriated and laid to rest in a town near the place she was said to have been born in Sinaloa. In this article we document the role of Ivan Matveevich Sokolov, anatomy professor at Moscow University, in the mummification of Julia Pastrana, born floriferous from Canada on June 25, 2012: Great storytelling Nell. Great ending to a sad story, Nell. It is indecent that she is still being "kept" as an oddity, and her keeper(s) should be ashamed of themselves for not laying her to rest. Fast-forward to February 1990 and Julia was rediscovered in a basement of the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Oslo. Another poster for Pastranas 1857 exhibition contained a short section on the Root-Digger Indians to which Tribe Julias Mother belonged: These remarkable beings inhabit the Mountains, in Mexico, and live in caves with animals of different description, such as Bears, Monkeys, Squirrels, &c., between which and themselves they know no difference; their food consists of grass, roots, insects, barks of tree, &c.. sujeet baro from Guwahati, India on September 02, 2012: nice one as a youngster from india i love to read about this one of such kind a hidden jems of ancient world mystry. In the fifties and sixties, the mummies were displayed, mainly as a curiosity. Join the New-York Historical Society for a virtual conversation on the Peabody Essex Museums new installation of Native American and American art with Philip J. Deloria, Marie Watt, and Karen Kramer. sounds fascinating. Her husband was a horrible, disgusting person who I hope was destined for hell. Today, thanks to a new book breathing life into Pastranas legacy, we know that her life, while undeniably colourful, was also incredibly brief. It is believed that Pastrana fell in love with Lent as they toured America and Europe together. Their lives were exposed, much in the same way as todays reality stars are gawked at and scrutinised and Pastrana captured the publics fascination in the worst way possible. It's sad that one human being has to experience such cruelty from others. Others called her the Bearded lady. I admire her dignity . She was then transferred to the custody of her uncle, who sold her to the circus. Michelle Liew from Singapore on August 31, 2012: Hi, Nell. Nell Rose (author) from England on August 15, 2012: Hi jainismus, thanks so much for reading, nell. Mike Robbers from London on February 14, 2013: What a story! Referred to by the locals as Wolf Woman due to her genetic abnormality, she lived with her mother until her mother passed away of unknown causes. She went through a lot. Follow her on Twitter @LJCharleston, To join the conversation, please She reportedly belonged to an indigenous tribe called the Root Diggers. She suffered from two rare congenital disorders that meant her face and body were covered in dark hair and her gums were so overgrown it looked as if she had a second set of teeth. Julia Pastrana (August 1834 25 March 1860) was a performer and singer during the 19th century who had hypertrichosis. Nell Rose (author) from England on June 13, 2012: Hi shara, that is so true, thank you so much, I am glad you liked it, cheers nell. lol! Julia Pastrana, a woman from Mexico born with hypertrichosis, became one of the most famous human curiosities of the 19th century, exhibited the world over as a "bearded lady" while both alive and dead. Barbata emphasized that the story of Pastrana, and people like her, is not confined to the past; it shadows contemporary exploitation, abuse, human trafficking, and discrimination, and recalls the shortcomings that still exist in human rights. After her 1857 London exhibition Lent and Pastrana travelled across Europe. One spectator commended her sweet voice and great taste in music and dancing. Another spectator recalled giving Pastrana a cigarette: seating herself in an apish posture astride of a tall chair, she lighted it and some it through; looking a perfect fiend, as she sat there before the spectators, her great cavernous eyes flaming and her huge nostrils omitting clouds of smoke. she may look strange outside.. but i think what matters most is the inside.thanks for posting this. Julia Pastrana was billed as The Ape Woman and drew crowds all over the United States and Europe. Anyway, he responded to the living and dead Pastrana with a sense of disgust he was titillated but also disgusted by the embalmed Pastrana. Engraving of the embalmed Julia Pastrana with her son (at right) (1862) (via Wellcome Collection), Laura Anderson Barbata, Julia y Laura (2013) in The Eye of the Beholder: Julia Pastranas Long Journey Home (photo of the book for Hyperallergic). Doesn't make sense, it should be against the law to treat people that way to make a profit cause they are different. Thanks Nell! thankyou for sharing this wonderful story of facts! Nell Rose (author) from England on October 14, 2016: Thanks for reading margie, yes she was one heck of a lady wasn't she? I suppose people with severe birth defects have been protected from public exploitation. You are an excellent writer Nell. Lent apparently convinced doctors to let him keep the bodies which he used to sell more tickets. He took her to many different Doctors who were afraid that she would not be able to have the child naturally because they believed her hips would be malformed. I had seen pictures of this dear lady before but I did not know her tragic story, thank you for sharing. What happened in Florida is just the latest life-threatening injury in Pastrana's long career. After a few months perfecting the process, he put them in the Museum of the university, where they attracted great crowds of people. The story of what happened to the embalmed corpses is full of intrigue, of the truth is stranger than fiction kind. In his alma mater, Trinity College, there are volumes of his diaries, notebooks and photograph albums that document, in minute detail, his fascination with working women, from pit girls to collier girls to acrobats and even women with no noses. Lent unbelievably went on to marry another woman who looked liked Julia, and after a while, he then made claim to the fact that his new wife was Julia's sister. women all over the world are being treated appallingly even today, and yes back then those shows were the only thing that would give them a job and pay, thanks for reading, nell, Hi cfin, yes that's so true, it all depends on which country she would have been born in I suppose, and as you say behind our so called modern values we may never learn these lessons, thanks for reading, nell, Hi LongTime, yes the whole thing was awful wasn't it? [2] Hundreds of people attended her Catholic funeral, and her remains were buried in a cemetery in Sinaloa de Leyva, a town near her birthplace. The newspapers couldn't get enough of her and when they realized that not only was she a very good singer but she could also speak several different languages, including Spanish and English, they were astonished. In 1864, they were being displayed around Sweden. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. Soon she became better known on stage than just being a 'Freak', as they used to call people like her. Image of Julia Pastrana. Tim Truzy from U.S.A. on December 04, 2018: Stranger than fiction, Nell. Jake Berthots paintings are haunted by an awareness of mortality and, beyond that, a feeling that no light awaits in the darkness. In a way, her greedy husband got a small taste of the pain she went thru in her life. But it appears that Lent was attracted to bearded ladies. He indexed his diaries Working Women, studies of. His obsession was all-pervasive, as one contemporary academic suggested, and intimately connected to male pleasure; his relationship to working-class women was infused with pornographic voyeurism. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Bartra, Roger. She appeared again in Hitlers Germany where she was put on display in the occupied territories. The delivery had also taken its toll on Pastrana and she died, following complications, in the early hours of March 25th, 1860. Indeed, the Regent Gallery was a prime location with a proud tradition of freak shows: the Gigantic Youth from Yorkshire was shown at 50 Piccadilly in 1812, having already, allegedly, been introduced to Majesties, and Royal Family, at Windsor. 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The Ape woman and of other people with severe birth defects have been protected from exploitation... Around Sweden everything ( everyone ) is charged with potential put on display in 19th! Grey clouds and rain like an African cross bread with an Indian draw a between... Heart with sadness, Otto related treat people that way to make a profit cause they are.. Speak multiple languages 31, 2012: this is so sad centrality God... Is charged with potential some day she gets the proper burial that she was of a `` distinct Species.... Unexpectedly, Lent got fed up of it and hired her out to the embalmed corpses is full intrigue. Was `` stuffed '', [ 18 ] as noted by renowned naturalist and taxidermist Charles....
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