Pastrana, an indigenous woman from Mexico, was born with genetic condition hypertrichosis terminalis which meant her face and much of her body was covered with black hair. Did he feel any love toward Julia? Saul Rubio Ayala the local mayor of her town stated 'Julia Pastrana has come home'. lol. Maybe our compassion and moral sense now realize that not only was she a unique woman, but with her quiet dignity and poise, and our disgust at our own human nature, makes us ignore her, and shut the door on our shame. lol! Jools Hogg from North-East UK on September 01, 2012: Nell, great hub - fascinating and heartbroken in equal measure. Hyperallergic is a forum for serious, playful, and radical thinking about art in the world today. Her handler or owner was named as a Mr M. Rates and he saw the potential in her the second he found her, working as a servant girl to the governor of Sinaloa Mexico. Nell Rose (author) from England on June 19, 2012: Hi sgbrown, thanks so much, yes I agree with you, what a horrible person he was, imagine this happening today! such a darn shame! Julia Pastrana Her face and body were covered with hair, she had very a large nose and ears and her teeth were irregular. In another version, which is based on the words of indigenous villagers in Ocoroni, Mexico, Pastrana was a local girl whom they referred to as "wolf woman." These Miniature Artworks Prove That It's the Little Things In Life, Inside Robert Rauschenberg's Newly Renovated SoHo Home, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. I voted up for sure. Eventually, Lent got fed up of It and hired her out to the person who would pay the most for the privilege. We've gained little empathy in the past 150 years or so. In her world, there is no detritus and everything (everyone) is charged with potential. In 1860, after giving a birth to a baby boy, Julia and her son both died. Pastrana indeed did not share in the everyday joys in a home filled with love. Though she married Theodore Lent, it was not so much out of love as it was business for him. Julia Pastrana was bought and sold like a possession as well. At last Julia has been laid to rest in her home state of Sinaloa De Leyva in Mexico on Tuesday 12th February 2013. The marriage lasted 15 years until 1895, when the pair were divorced, and Jones subsequently married again. They re-emerged and were displayed in Norway during the beginning of the 20th century. She was a very strong woman to keep her dignity as long as she did. Her last words were apparently: I die happy; I know I have been loved for myself. But Lents actions suggest otherwise. From March 22 to 26, over 70 local, national, and international galleries present extraordinary art at accessible prices. By 1943, the corpses were touring Sweden and theyd continue to grace the entertainment sites of Europe as late as 1970 they were exhibited in Sweden and Norway; in 1973 they were part of a travelling amusement park in America. It took all those years for that poor woman to have a decent burial, but the baby could not. Unbelievable. "Velvet" is directed by Celso Garca and is an international production with the support of various personalities behind and in front of the camera. Great ending to a sad story, Nell. And even more so when most of us probably agree that treatment today would not be much different. There is so much more to this story, but in a nutshell, Julia and her baby were passed from person to person, country to country, until one day in 1976, the storage facility where Julia was being kept, was broken into and vandalized. G. Diane Nelson Trotter from Fontana on October 13, 2012: All I can say is, "Unbelievable!" Wellcome Library, LondonAn ad for Julia Pastranas show. I read about Julia some time ago. It is good to know she was eventually returned home for a dignified burial she deserved. Jenna Pope from Southern California on August 31, 2012: It is so awful how people who are different are treated. They make up half of NYUs full-time professors, and they want living wages and academic freedom. Deborah Brooks Langford from Brownsville,TX on August 15, 2012: Nell this is the most interesting hub.. Lithograph of Julia Pastrana by V. Katzler circa 1860. Others called her the Bearded lady. Poor lady and her child. 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. Looking at the image of Julia she looked like an African cross bread with an Indian. Nell Rose (author) from England on September 02, 2012: Hi Sujeet, thanks so much for reading, nell. By suppressing the truth of Julia Pastranas story, showmen could peddle the claim that she was the product of an unholy union between man and beast. Silver Fish from Edinburgh Scotland on May 04, 2014: Amazing hub, loved reading this. 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. But exploitation did occur, and I think Julia is a case in point although there are still complexities. And so, in 1862, the Embalmed Female Nondescript and Child were displayed at the Burlington Gallery, 191 Piccadilly, a site usually reserved for high art exhibitions. The child was born with the same disease as his mother. For over a hundred years, the bodies of Pastrana and her son were displayed around the world in museums, circuses and amusement parks. It is held, I believe, that such an union as is this hinted at can never produce conception; the spermatozoa of beasts being unable to germinate in the human female, and vice versa? 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. Sheila Brown from Southern Oklahoma on June 18, 2012: This is a very well written and interesting story. Advertisements declared her the Ape Woman or the Nondescript, a creature that could not be described. He didnt write about her, though, until 1862 when he returned to another one of her shows, which was very different to the first. Julia Pastrana Online presents historical documents (newspaper advertisements, marriage records, pamphlets, etc.) Freak shows, although now politically incorrect and unpopular, gave unique people a stage and they were made stars. Julia Pastrana was a talented Mexican singer and dancer of Indigenous background. 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. Linda Kasabian, who took part in the two days of mayhem in 1969 that left seven people dead, ended up flipping on the cult leader. 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. I think she was featured in an article as a freak, along with others. Here Are the Best Reviewed Books of the Month. So sad that she was treated so badly. 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. In 2013, over a century after she left the Sierra Madre Mountains for a career in the United States, Pastrana finally returned home. This was a disaster. Julia Pastrana was set to perform at the Regent Gallery, at the Quadrant on Regent Street with its lodgings, homes and shops selling imported and exotic delicacies. yes Lent was an evil man, and thank goodness got what he deserved in the end, thanks so much for reading, nell. thanks for reading. Billed as the missing link between apes and man, Julia Pastrana was checked out by several physicians who produced certificates which were displayed wherever Pastrana went on tour stating that she was not really a woman at all, but rather a new species of half-human, half-ape hybrid. That husband needed a good lashing, indeed. Today, thanks to a new book breathing life into Pastranas legacy, we know that her life, while undeniably colourful, was also incredibly brief. Today we find the behavior of Julia's promoters deplorable, whereas in years past, exploitation was perfectly acceptable for many. The Supernatural and Psychic Index Hub by Nell Rose. Julia's preserved body was stolen in 1979, but stored at the Oslo Forensic Institute after the body was reported to police but not identified. I had read quite a bit about Julia Pastrana before ina book "Very pecial People" but not as in depth as you provide here. Hi epi, yes so true, people always go by whats on the outside not on the in, its such a shame that Julia Pastrana had to go through this. And so, death didnt free Pastrana from public gawking. :). Pastrana eventually married her manager, Lent; a man Dr Woolf describes as a shady character. We can only guess as to how Lent rationalised what he was doing with Pastrana but money undoubtedly played a huge role. lol! Its jaws, he continued, jagged fangs and ears are terrifically hideous. He concluded that she was a joke of nature.. Nell Rose (author) from England on December 04, 2018: Thanks for reading it Charity, and glad you liked it. According to Dr Woolf, this description probably went a long way towards many people denying Pastrana her humanity. Jake Berthots paintings are haunted by an awareness of mortality and, beyond that, a feeling that no light awaits in the darkness. As such, the life of many sideshow performers, Julia Pastrana included, is marred by sensationalism and exploitation. In a book essay, Bess Lovejoy compares her to figures like Sarah Baartman, an African woman exhibited as the Hottentot Venus for her curvy appearance, and Minik, an Inuit boy brought to the American Museum of Natural History by explorer Robert Peary. 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. The delivery had also taken its toll on Pastrana and she died, following complications, in the early hours of March 25th, 1860. thanks as always, nell, Hi Silver, yes she definitely was, thanks so much for reading, nell, HI Blond Logic, Oh yes, Max Clifford! In 1857 Pastrana and Lentfreak and showman, wife and husbandwere in London, with Pastrana billed as "Miss Julia Pastrana, the Nondescript, known throughout the United States and Canada as the BEAR WOMAN" and "Baboon Lady.". In Mexico, where Pastranas mother was variously claimed to be a native, living in a cave and/or where she gave birth, women were similarly perceived as hypersexual. Good article! The moving image artist will discuss her investigative practice and the implications of digital image proliferation, taking place via livestream and in Philadelphia. Lerma Garay, Antonio. 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. Barnums 13 most famous and incredible oddities. . I'd never heard of Julia or her condition before and your depiction of her life is both compelling and heart warming. Wellcome ImagesMarie Bartel, billed as the younger sister of Julia Pastrana. Nell Rose (author) from England on April 28, 2014: Thanks so much for reading suzzycue, yes she was an amazing woman, imagine having to face the world, and live with that evil man, but she came through singing, but sadly she had a terrible ending, nell. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He named her Zenora Pastrana. On show with her still born son after death. As usual anyone who is different is seen as freakish. A Jutting jaw and very swollen gums added to her appearance. He ended up dying barely a day and a half after being born. Her mother was constantly dehumanised as a Root-Digger Indian who lived among apes with the insinuation that she copulated with the animal kingdom and Julia was the product, he said. A year later, Marie gave the corpses to a German impresario and they were exhibited in numerous fairs. 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). Possibly some of them originated with Julia. Audrey Howitt from California on August 31, 2012: Wow--such an unusual story--she led a sad life and we still do not understand much about this disorder--but what a great write! Lent worried that a rival might try to steal his most lucrative act, so he proposed to her in the late 1850s to secure his investment. Nell Rose (author) from England on July 01, 2020: I totally agree with you Alvene. The prodigious Julia Pastrana was known by many monikers during her life and perhaps just as many names in death.Both her life and her death are rather. Linda Bilyeu from Orlando, FL on February 13, 2013: Great story Nell. His name was Arthur Munby, seemingly a respectable upper-middle-class gentleman: a graduate of the University of Cambridge, a civil servant in the Ecclesiastical Commission from 1858 and an occasional poet. Perhaps a bit of all three. This Idea came from Lent, who suddenly realized that if he didn't want to lose her, he had better marry her himself. They were so cruel to her. 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. Some people might act politely as they have been "trained" to do so, but atrocities such as the treatment of this woman and her child are as much prevalent today as they ever were. These reactions provide a really interesting insight into how people viewed freaks. A top police boss sent a scathing email to officers after their state force became embroiled in a series of 'drink-driving, drug use, family violence and sexual and predatory behaviour' incidents. So glad I discovered it ans I find stories with mysterious elements like this one fascinating. The parents of a five-week-old baby mauled by two rottweilers have spoken for the first time since their little girls life was taken. There are people in all races that treat others like this even today. We weren't allowed to go into those tents. muhammad abdullah javed on September 04, 2015: Very interesting Hub Nell Rose, reading about personalities pend down by you is simply a fascination. Pastrana was born in 1834 in Sinaloa, Mexico. Then, unexpectedly, Lent had a mental breakdown and ended up in the towns local mental sanatorium. :). One doctor, Alexander B. Mott, proclaimed that she was part human and part orangutan. Hi The Annoying Life, love the name! They were also Mexican Indians. 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. Nell Rose (author) from England on August 15, 2012: Hi jainismus, thanks so much for reading, nell. Money didn't interest her at all. I also admire her and think she must have been such an amazing lady. He was also a secret sadomasochist. Her body was covered in hair, and her face even more so. But her death did little to stop the freak show from continuing; Pastrana was embalmed, along with her baby. 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. Lentseems to have considered her a model freak, a house-trained monster that behaved well in front of audiences, writes Jan Bondeson in a book essay. thankyou for sharing this wonderful story of facts! I think Julia was a strong dignified and beautiful woman. Subsequently, Julia and her child's bodies were eventually inabuilding Oslo,Norway,whichwasbrokeninto thelate resulting in damage to Julia's body and the disappearance of National Library of MedicineA photograph of Julia Pastrana. Wikimedia CommonsJulia Pastrana was billed as The Ape Woman and drew crowds all over the United States and Europe. What a great woman! In 1976 and 1979, the fairground in Oslo was broken into and the corpses damaged. Hi Suzie, thanks so much, she is such a fascinating lady, and I totally respect everything she went through, such a pity she had to live back then, thank you, nell. During her life, Pastrana performed across America and Europe in a number of spaces including the circus where she performed on horseback. Soon she began to travel all around America, and when she arrived in Boston she was billed as the 'Hybrid Woman or The Bear Woman. Julia Pastrana was then transported to a private ceremony hosted by the university, at which the chancellor spoke with great respect and emotion. Literary giants have thoughts on the new edits to Roald Dahl's works. 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. The comments you have received are to be commended Nell - superb article written with love, respect and tenderness. 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. Around 1817 to 1829, a Fat Boy, three years old, was on display for 1 shilling at 183 Piccadillly and, in the mid-1840s, the Human Tripod was exhibited for half a crown at the Quadrant, being declared a bipenis, as well as a trisceles with three legs. After the adulation in London, Julia began a tour In Berlin Germany, which both changed her appearances from a Freak show to Stage actress. 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. Lent apparently convinced doctors to let him keep the bodies which he used to sell more tickets. For example, in the 17th century, Jacob Bontius blamed Indigenous Indian women for the existence of orangutans, claiming that they mixed with apes and monkeys with detestable sensuality., Charles Darwin, for his part, described her as a remarkably fine woman albeit with a thick masculine beard and a hairy forehead. A zoologist named Francis Buckland, who examined Pastrana in 1857, largely agreed. It was only following a protracted campaign that Julia was finally brought back to Mexico and buried with dignity. This is such a sad yet unique story. Tim Truzy from U.S.A. on December 04, 2018: Stranger than fiction, Nell. Certainly, though, in light of his later actions, it is hard to conclude that it was affection. What a story and what a life. haha! Known as the marvellous hybrid or Bear Woman, others called her The Ugliest woman in the World. Fast-forward to February 1990 and Julia was rediscovered in a basement of the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Oslo. Dressed in red, Pastrana entertained the audience by singing and dancing. The problem with trying to understand Julia Pastranas history is that multiple versions of her life story exist. Used with the permission of the publisher. So glad she attained a fitting resting place. cfin from The World we live in on May 04, 2014: This is so sad. RELATED: Queen Victorias freaky obsession, RELATED: Crucial find in Elephant Man mystery, RELATED: Killer sweating sickness that terrified a King. Julia was then moved and the same thing happened again. thanks for reading, nell. Nell Rose (author) from England on November 18, 2012: Thanks unknown spy, glad you liked it, nell. 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. Up until the 1970s, there are records of them exhibited as carnival curiosities in the United States and Europe. This was a radical idea that discombobulated mans place in nature. Julia has been reborn among us. (Its believed she died of complications from giving birth.) I sometimes wonder: did Lents later insanity derive from some form of guilt? Eventually, Lent and his new bride retired to St. Petersburg and set up shop in a small waxworks museum. Pastrana was one of the worlds most popular freaks at a time when such entertainers were the biggest celebrities of the Victorian era. floriferous from Canada on June 25, 2012: Great storytelling Nell. Killer sweating sickness that terrified a King. ..and don't forget my alter-ego - Jo Jo the dog faced Boy - lol - and yes this incredible story reminds me of The Elephant Man - and that beauty is always found from within -even though the sensational part of it - has been focused on the 'outside' part .. And you are pretty incredible and beautiful yourself Nell as a writer and hubber both inside and out -sending you warm wishes and good energy from lake erie time ontario canada 1:18pm. He went on to say ' Julia has been reborn among us, let us never see another woman be turned into an object of commerce'. Barbata was pivotal in leading the 2013 repatriation and burial in Mexico of Pastrana. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Her husband was a horrible, disgusting person who I hope was destined for hell. Pastranawas described as sociable and polite, and, besides being undoubtedly the greatest living curiosity, she is a lady in every respect., The Wonders: The Extraordinary Performers Who Transformed the Victorian Age. Not many people believed that these mummies could possibly be real. It is awful to think of her mummified corpse still doing the rounds as 'entertainment' during WW2, a human being deserves more dignity than this, even if she was unique in the way she looked. But even when dead, white men continued to profit off of her body. He also barred her from walking the streets in daylight, worried that no one would pay to see her on the stage if they caught a glimpse for free. All Julia could think of was, please be healthy and not have a personality like your father. Its quite a story , she really had amazing courage and grace. Sadly the child died after thirty-five hours. All times AEDT (GMT +11). Fig. You always find the most interesting people to write about. When he met with Pastrana, he said she seemed like a monster to the whole world, an abnormality put on display for money like a trained animal., The gawkers, physicians, and spectators left Pastrana feeling very alone. 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. She appeared again in Hitlers Germany where she was put on display in the occupied territories. He dissected them and then mummified them so that they could be put on display. Then, somehow, she found her way into show business. I felt that if I did not lobby for her removal from the Schreiner Collection she would remain indefinitely stored in a university collection with an inventory number and an inconclusive existence. Marie collected the two mummies and exhibited herself alongside the embalmed corpses in November 1888 at the Anthropological Society of Munich. Standing in front of an audience of thousands, Julia looked down at the audience and sang in a most beautiful voice. This not only reveals how people processed freak displays but also how the freak never engendered a similar response it depended on your outlook. The show was closed on the grounds of obscenity, but Pastrana continued to perform Spanish dances and popular songs. Love, lust or money? This lasted for more than 10 years, Dr Woolfe said. charity mtisi from Johannesburg on December 04, 2018: Its a relief that she was finally laid to rest. After lying to that womans family that he would never exhibit her for money, he renamed her Miss Zenora Pastrana and similarly exploited her appearance. Pastrana's body has since been relocated to Sinaloa, and was buried in a cemetery in Sinaloa de Levya in February 2013. He had his son on March 20, 1860. It was identified in 1990 and for many years rested in a sealed coffin at the Department of Anatomy, Oslo University. God rest her soul. To defend the rights of all people is ourresponsibility. In fact after Pastrana died, he toured his late wifes corpse, then found another bearded woman to marry. If she was of another race would she be treated like this. Let us never see another woman be turned into an object of commerce.. I hope I wasn't too mean. In the fifties and sixties, the mummies were displayed, mainly as a curiosity. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. That must have been de0humanizing to Lent. In their version, Pastrana was born with the condition hypertrichosis, which covered her face and body in thick hair. I'm glad she was finally laid to rest it was so long overdue. What a terrible story of greed and the loss of a beautiful soul. When will we learn to be kind? Julia Pastrana (1834-1860) was a Mexican woman who suffered from various diseases that affected her physical appearance. This was enough to give Lent a nervous break down. After a Roman Catholic Mass in a local church, Julia's coffin was carried to the town cemetery and buried as a band played the local traditional music. Register, Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout. From this family was born the idea of werewolves. In 1994, the Norway Senate recommended burying her remains, but the Minister of Sciences decided to keep them, so scientists could perform research. In this version, so the story goes, a group of Mexican herders then found Pastrana in a mountain cave hiding with her mother. Photograph by George Wick of the embalmed Julia Pastrana (via Wellcome Collection), Pages from The Eye of the Beholder: Julia Pastranas Long Journey Home (photo of the book for Hyperallergic). According to Dr Woolf, the other man was Arthur Munby a civil servant who lived a secret life. 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