An illustration of Julia Pastrana, a Victorian stage performer who toured Europe, Canada, and the United States billed as the Bearded or Hairy Lady, the Nondescript, the Ape-Woman, the Marvelous Hybrid or Bear Woman. Voted up. They did eventually elope, though he continued to refer to as The Ugliest Woman in the World for shows. I wonder if she was related to that family of Mexicans who were covered with hair. On 14 October 2013 the in-development movie "Velvet" was announced, based on the life and experiences of Julia Pastrana, and from an original screenplay by Celso Garca and Francisco Pay Gonzlez. I believe one day we all may be shocked at finding out who the real animals of the earth are. The announcement appeared in an article published in Mexican newspaper "Mural", member of the editorial group Reforma. The embalmed body of Julia Pastrana on display. 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. Annie Jones, initially billed as the Infant Esau at Barnums Museum, was allegedly secretly married to a showman when she had just turned 16. Hyperallergic is a forum for serious, playful, and radical thinking about art in the world today. lol! 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. Julia Pastrana was bought and sold like a possession as well. Humanity is disgraceful. My nephew is a midget and he has been made fun of his whole life but he has a heart of gold, just sweet, takes it in stride. Certainly, though, in light of his later actions, it is hard to conclude that it was affection. In addition to scholarly publications with top presses, she has written for Atlas Obscura and Ranker. Her wily husband immediately sold the bodies of his wife and child to anatomy professor Sokolov of the Moscow University for a price. 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 . The things that money makes one do. She was in Moscow at the time, on tour. They were so cruel to her. In 1994, the Norway Senate recommended burying her remains, but the Minister of Sciences decided to keep them, so scientists could perform research. The latter condition was caused by a rare disease, undiagnosed in her lifetime, gingival hyperplasia, which thickened her lips and gums. The publicity had clearly got this spectator musing. He renamed her Zenora Pastrana, luring in audiences with the claim that she was Julias younger sister. A new book chronicles how artist Laura Anderson Barbata led the repatriation and burial of Julia Pastrana, a 19th-century indigenous Mexican woman exhibited in life and death for her excessive hair. So pleased her journey has ended though. 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. 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. He was intimate with her and they produced a child. What cemented the marriage? Sheila from Surprise Arizona - formerly resided in Washington State on September 01, 2012: Wow - what a fascinating story I could not stop reading. Allegedly, Marie did not like seeing the mummified grin of Pastrana so the bodies were again lent to a show, this time in Austria. While the full science behind the abnormality that caused her condition continues to be studied, even today, congenital hypertrichosis has a variety of effective treatments, including laser hair removal and hormone treatments. This informed his sense of disgust.. Matthew Manning-Psychic and Healer. 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. They were also Mexican Indians. I'd never heard of Julia or her condition before and your depiction of her life is both compelling and heart warming. The literature provided by the sideshow that first purchased her said that Pastrana was born in Mexico in August of 1834. Lent even tracked down another woman named Marie Bartel who had the same condition as Pastrana and married her. Someone must have cared enough about her to educate her, and teach her to sing and dance, don't you think?? Deborah Brooks Langford from Brownsville,TX on August 15, 2012: Nell this is the most interesting hub.. According to Dr Woolf, the embalmed corpses had a very strange career. The newspapers of the day said she was hideous, but in her favor she had a very nice singing voice. And then where would that leave him? Standing at only four foot six, labor put her very life at risk. The baby was torn to pieces. thanks so much for reading, cheers nell. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. She was aware of the fact that she was different but used her small frame and powerful persona to her advantage. Julia Pastrana was paraded onstage in freak shows in England and used to sell tickets even after her death as her embalmed body travelled the world. In this version, so the story goes, a group of Mexican herders then found Pastrana in a mountain cave hiding with her mother. Marie and Lent went to Russia, Lent went insane, and in 1888, Marie left Russia for Munich. Her body was taxidermically preserved. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. ..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. [11] Lent later found another woman with similar features, married her and changed her name from Marie Bartel to Zenora Pastrana, becoming wealthy from her exhibition. Her ears and nose were unusually large, and her teeth were irregular. Lithograph of Julia Pastrana by V. Katzler circa 1860. Heidi Thorne from Chicago Area on May 04, 2014: This story just shows how far society has really come in acceptance of those who are different than we are. At last Julia has been laid to rest in her home state of Sinaloa De Leyva in Mexico on Tuesday 12th February 2013. I am sharing.. By this time she was being 'shown' by a Mr Theodore Lent who became, in a sense her manager, helping her with her dancing and singing on stage. For over a hundred years, the bodies of Pastrana and her son were displayed around the world in museums, circuses and amusement parks. Tragic saga continues Julia tragic saga continued even after her death. I am also reminded of the Hottentot Venus who had a similar fate as Julia. 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. 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.. RELATED: Queen Victorias freaky obsession, RELATED: Crucial find in Elephant Man mystery, RELATED: Killer sweating sickness that terrified a King. Saul Rubio Ayala the local mayor of her town stated 'Julia Pastrana has come home'. I had no idea .. wow.. Julia's mummie disappeared over the next few decades. Nell Rose (author) from England on October 14, 2016: Thanks for reading margie, yes she was one heck of a lady wasn't she? At four and a half feet, she was also said to look very like an ape in features. Beach, but in 1854, she eloped with Theodore Lent, marrying him in Baltimore, Maryland. In this version, it is said that a woman identified only as Mrs. Espinosa was kidnapped by the tribe and held in a cave and took Pastrana with her when she was able to escape. 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. 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. These reactions provide a really interesting insight into how people viewed freaks. I suppose people with severe birth defects have been protected from public exploitation. For example, its claimed Julia said Lent Loves me for my own sake. So we come to the end. What were the dynamics of their life and marriage? One of the best beards in history was grown by a woman named Julia Pastrana. But The Liverpool Mercury marveled, she is good-natured, sociable, and accommodating, pointing out that Julia was bilingual and could dance, sing, sew, cook, wash and iron.. All times AEDT (GMT +11). 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. But it was not to be. Voted up etc and pinned. 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). Nell Rose (author) from England on November 18, 2012: Thanks unknown spy, glad you liked it, nell. Then in 1990, Julia was eventually found in the basement of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, in Oslo, Norway. Shortly after, he died. Thanks midget, yes over a 150 years ago she was treated appallingly its so good to know they have had the decency to bring her back to her village at last, now she can rest in peace, thanks nell. 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. This story made me tear up. Buckland was influenced by natural theology which asserted the centrality of God in nature. I think Julia was a strong dignified and beautiful woman. 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. Advertisement for Julia Pastrana, the Nondescript (via Wellcome Collection). Julia finally went home but without her baby who was also human. Pastrana was born in 1834 in Sinaloa, Mexico. But her death did little to stop the freak show from continuing; Pastrana was embalmed, along with her baby. Julia Pastrana's last words on her deathbed were "I am dying happy". This was enough to give Lent a nervous break down. Sadly, Pastrana didnt survive either, dying a couple of days after her baby. He dissected them and then mummified them so that they could be put on display. But it appears that Lent was attracted to bearded ladies. 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. Records are blurry, but she was likely born in 1834 somewhere in Mexico, on the Western slopes of the Sierra Madre:. Her looks resembled an ape. Sculpture of Indigenous Woman Will Replace Mexico Citys Columbus, Museum Under Fire for Showing AI Version of Vermeer Masterpiece, Hito Steyerl to Deliver 2023 Wolgin Lecture at Tyler School of Art and Architecture, NYUs Non-Tenured Faculty Rally for a Union. Image of Julia Pastrana. I remember watching a documentary piece 20/20 or some such and the whole family had the disorder. BL: And then her coffin was put on the plane? 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. Nell Rose (author) from England on February 14, 2013: Thanks Mike, Lovedoctor, and mary, yes she was a very sad character, and used the talents that she had to get through an appalling life, I am so glad she has been taken back to her home and laid to rest, thanks for reading, nell. Shared and tweeted. Only five days later, Julia was dead. Thank you for sharing this story. Why could she not be buried and a statue made of her. This is so sad to read how this woman was exploited. Complications during birth left her weak and drained. 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 had great poise. Freak showmen capitalised on this there were numerous freak performers billed as Missing Links or proof of Darwins theory.. Copyright 2019 by John Woolf. They appeared in Norway in 1921 and toured the US as late as 1972. 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. the one good thing about this though was the fact that as I kept sharing it everywhere they eventually found her and buried her with dignity, so pleased. In a way, her greedy husband got a small taste of the pain she went thru in her life. He didnt write about her, though, until 1862 when he returned to another one of her shows, which was very different to the first. But it doesn't finish here. Pastrana was born with long, dark hair that covered her body, and her managerand new husbandenticed audiences to her shows by describing her as the "Ape Woman," "Bear-woman," "Half HumanHalf Beast," and . The name she was billed under was a cruel and sad insult to her condition. Nell Rose (author) from England on October 16, 2019: Thanks Liz, I will take a look! Not many people believed that these mummies could possibly be real. [11] The child survived only three days, and Pastrana died of postpartum complications five days later. Daniel Lambert, Cahgn and Eng Bunker, and Charles Stratton had all been shown in the vicinity. We can still see them at State Fairs, although they do not seem to display the most exotic ones. It is such a shame how people will treat those different. Her son was placed on a pedestal and displayed, wearing a sailor suit. 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. What a shame that Julia was subjected to such treatment during her lifetime and even afterward. Linda Bilyeu from Orlando, FL on February 13, 2013: Great story Nell. The marriage lasted 15 years until 1895, when the pair were divorced, and Jones subsequently married again. lol! Much of the interest in Pastrana stems from what happened after her death. That poor baby was torn to shreds when he should be laid to rest. Nell Rose (author) from England on September 10, 2015: Thanks Jodah, yes its a very strange story isn't it? His diagnosis followed a racist tradition of linking darker-skinned people with animals. A musical Pastrana by Australian writers Allan McFadden and Peter Northwood was performed by Melbourne's Church Theatre in 1989. Jenna Pope from Southern California on August 31, 2012: It is so awful how people who are different are treated. Unbelievable. Julia Pastrana Her face and body were covered with hair, she had very a large nose and ears and her teeth were irregular. Michele Travis from U.S.A. Ohio on November 26, 2012: Thank you for writing this hub. Thanks for sharing her story and giving her the honor she deserved! Suzette Walker from Taos, NM on May 04, 2014: Wow, Nell! 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! The bestiality was enhanced by the very association of the term Root-Digger, which signaled, to the white Victorian mind, dirty, lazy, bloodthirsty and animalistic sexual savages. Lent returned to London in 1862 determined to continue with the freak show. And the thing is, even today, cruel names are being given to people who "don't fit" something like "gorilla people of Mexico." 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. The only parts of her body not covered in hair was the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet. 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. 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? Pastrana was reportedly generous, sensitive, charitable and intelligent, claiming that Lent loves me for my own sake. Perhaps, though, the marriage was really a way for Lent to exact control: when Barnum met Pastrana in 1857, according to the memoirs of another showman, she would not take off the thick veil which covered her face until Mr. God rest her soul. Lent came in. Also, Lent knew Pastrana was a money-maker, so to avoid her changing showmen what better way to keep her than by marrying her? lol! She then became part of theSchreiner Collection in the University of Oslos anatomy department. What she had experienced is appalling. England became aware of her and stated in the newspapers at the time, she is an amazing oddity and promptly started to call her The Nondescript, which is similar to what we say today as unexplained. The Eye of the Beholder: Julia Pastranas Long Journey Home,out now fromLucia|Marquand, chronicles this return, with essays by six authors exploring Pastranas life, our treatment of the dead, and the exhibition of fellow humans as freaks. Barbata co-edited the book with Donna Wingate, and it draws on over four years of research to understand Pastrana as a person, and restore to her a humanity that was long denied. 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. Julia Pastrana was then transported to a private ceremony hosted by the university, at which the chancellor spoke with great respect and emotion. 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. One of these men was Francis Buckland an eccentric naturalist who first saw the living Pastrana in 1857 and the dead Pastrana in 1862. Shame that greed played such an important part of her life, she didn't deserve to be treated that way. [7] Lent took over her management, and they toured throughout the US and Europe. 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