Looking at the image of Julia she looked like an African cross bread with an Indian. 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. Many freak performers faced lives of destitution or dependency but, in the freak show, they were often celebrated performers who made comfortable livings. Hyperallergic is a forum for serious, playful, and radical thinking about art in the world today. Read one of your commenters said she was finally laid to rest in a glass coffin. 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. 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. Darwins On the Origin of Species complicated the relationship between ape and man by suggesting that the two were placed on an evolutionary scale. I know I have been loved for myself." Unfortunately, she was dehumanized in death as she was in life. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. It is not a coincidence, for instance, that the degrading of Pastranas gender and race happened at a time in the 19th-century when the rights of women and non-white people were under debate. Voted up etc and pinned. What a terrible story of greed and the loss of a beautiful soul. A special permit was required to gain access to her remains.[1]. He was intimate with her and they produced a child. He noted that she or it was intelligent with a fine voice who could speak three languages. At last Julia Pastrana has come home. 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. They did eventually elope, though he continued to refer to as The Ugliest Woman in the World for shows. lol! Julia finally went home but without her baby who was also human. Recent research suggests he was an ambitious, optimistic and rather unscrupulous businessman, salesman and auctioneer who occasionally dabbled in prostitution. Ohand Lent was asshole. amazing woman! We can still see them at State Fairs, although they do not seem to display the most exotic ones. But Julia Pastrana, of course, was no beast. Not many people believed that these mummies could possibly be real. Torn to pieces! 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. No one knows what prompted her to commit such a heinous act. In 1860, Pastrana died in Moscow after giving birth to Lent's son, who inherited his mother's condition. One doctor, Alexander B. Mott, proclaimed that she was part human and part orangutan. 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. Pastranas story was not forgotten, however. Theodore Lent displayed them across Europe and, when interest faded, he gave them to an English travelling museum of curiosities. Sadly the child died after thirty-five hours. Poor woman. Lent sold her corpse and her baby son, to a professor of Moscow University. Jenna Pope from Southern California on August 31, 2012: It is so awful how people who are different are treated. Since birth, Julia was diagnosed with a harsh genetic condition - generalized hypertrichosis lanuginose and it was unknown at that time. Thanks for sharing this sad story. When Lent remarried another bearded lady, Marie Bartel, he got back the corpses and had his new wife perform alongside his old, embalmed family. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). 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. (Its believed she died of complications from giving birth.) Julia's last words on her deathbed were: "I die happy. Julia Pastrana was billed as The Ape Woman and drew crowds all over the United States and Europe. Mahaveer Sanglikar from Pune, India on August 15, 2012: Interesting information about an unfortunate lady. Someone must have cared enough about her to educate her, and teach her to sing and dance, don't you think?? Nell Rose (author) from England on October 16, 2019: Thanks Liz, I will take a look! 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. Dr. Nicholas Mrquez-Grant (left) and attendants from T. S. Jacobsen funeral agency with Julia Pastrana's coffin, 2013 Photo: Laura Anderson Barbata. This was a radical idea that discombobulated mans place in nature. It took all those years for that poor woman to have a decent burial, but the baby could not. Nineteenth-century audiences recoiled at the sight of Julia Pastrana, the sideshow performer better known as the Ape Woman. One theater critic called her a semi-human being while another referred to her as a Baboon Woman.. This was soooooo well written, and from an outstanding perspective. lol! 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. I believe one day we all may be shocked at finding out who the real animals of the earth are. sounds fascinating. Register, Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout. She was believed to have been born within a small tribe of Native Americans on the western slopes of Mexico. The delivery had also taken its toll on Pastrana and she died, following complications, in the early hours of March 25th, 1860. Nell Rose (author) from England on October 14, 2012: Hi colin, Aw thanks! I've heard of this woman and of other people with the same sad disorder. The Sad Story Of Julia Pastrana, The Ape Woman Sideshow Performer. Wellcome Library, LondonAn ad for Julia Pastranas show. Bartra, Roger. Pastrana was not alone in her fate. This hub does a good job in teaching us how to treat other people. Silver Fish from Edinburgh Scotland on May 04, 2014: Amazing hub, loved reading this. A play based on Pastrana's life, The True History of the Tragic Life and Triumphant Death of Julia Pastrana, the Ugliest Woman in the World (1998) was written by Shaun Prendergast. If that was not bad enough, he then returned to the museum where Julia was being exhibited and took her on tour with him and his new wife. 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. [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. So sad that she was treated so badly. This story made me tear up. Suzette Walker from Taos, NM on May 04, 2014: Wow, Nell! So glad she attained a fitting resting place. The moving image artist will discuss her investigative practice and the implications of digital image proliferation, taking place via livestream and in Philadelphia. Buckland was influenced by natural theology which asserted the centrality of God in nature. 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. I hope this gets out to more people. Julia Pastrana was an indigenous Mexican woman treated as a spectacle in life, and death. Having to stand beside people, instead of with them, and to be shown as a freak for money, not sharing any of the everyday joys in a home filled with love.. 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. Eventually, Lent got fed up of It and hired her out to the person who would pay the most for the privilege. In 1860, after giving a birth to a baby boy, Julia and her son both died. All times AEDT (GMT +11). As we will see, Lent emerges as a monster. You always find the most interesting people to write about. such a darn shame, thanks so much for reading, nell, Hi Suzette, yes DNA has a lot to answer for! In the fifties and sixties, the mummies were displayed, mainly as a curiosity. Hi The Annoying Life, love the name! [12] Another, Dr. S. Brainerd of Cleveland, declared that she was of a "distinct species". She definitely deserved so much more credit, which you have given brilliantly here. 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. Credit: Wellcome Collection. She was said to be a skilled performer, who could dance, sing, act and speak multiple languages. Records are blurry, but she was likely born in 1834 somewhere in Mexico, on the Western slopes of the Sierra Madre:. Others called her the Bearded lady. 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. After moving to Cleveland with another new promoter, J.W. The publicity had clearly got this spectator musing. The colonnades of cast-iron columns, supporting a variety of formal and picturesque facades, offered a covered footway so those with spare time could meander around and possibly head into a freak show. As such, the life of many sideshow performers, Julia Pastrana included, is marred by sensationalism and exploitation. Nell Rose (author) from England on May 04, 2014: Hi heidi, thanks so much, some things never change, but thankfully the way we quickly deal with it is much better thankfully, glad you liked it, nell, Hi Dabble, thanks for reading, yes some people just have it bad from birth don't they? And so, death didnt free Pastrana from public gawking. I hope some day she gets the proper burial that she deserves. seriously, thanks for reading, and yes people back then were seen as animals, makes me so mad. Due to hypertrichosis and gingival hyperplasia, Julia Pastrana was covered in hair and had exaggerated features that caught the attention of sideshow promoters. They re-emerged and were displayed in Norway during the beginning of the 20th century. Nell Rose (author) from England on November 18, 2012: Thanks unknown spy, glad you liked it, nell. 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. Nell Rose (author) from England on September 04, 2015: Thanks so much m abdullah, glad you liked it, nell. Freak showmen capitalised on this there were numerous freak performers billed as Missing Links or proof of Darwins theory.. Wikimedia CommonsThe embalmed body of Julia Pastrana on display. In the early 1850s, Julia Pastrana somehow came into the custody of Pedro Sanchez, the then-governor of Sinaloa. Good article! haha! External Links Pastrana's body has since been relocated to Sinaloa, and was buried in a cemetery in Sinaloa de Levya in February 2013. They appeared in Norway in 1921 and toured the US as late as 1972. thanks for reading. lol. Teresa Coppens from Ontario, Canada on July 09, 2012: Very interesting story and one I was not familiar with. He named her Zenora Pastrana. Dounia and the Princess of Aleppo (2022) is screening in New York this month to benefit earthquake relief in Syria. 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. The latter condition was caused by a rare disease, undiagnosed in her lifetime, gingival hyperplasia, which thickened her lips and gums. Pastrana toured under the management of another showman, Theodore Lent, who like Pastrana remains an obscure figure. I agree with you in that I hope she will receive a proper burial. It is believed that Pastrana fell in love with Lent as they toured America and Europe together. He reportedly treated her horribly, and she ultimately left Sanchezs custody in 1854 when she was purchased by Francisco Seplveda, who brought her to the United States. In a way, her greedy husband got a small taste of the pain she went thru in her life. 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. Here she gave birth to a boy in March 1860, who was born with the same congenital traits and he dies, two days later, from asphyxia. 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 Eye of the Beholder: Julia Pastranas Long Journey Home, In Response to Backlash, Mexico City Reverses Decision on Artist to Replace Columbus Statue, Criticism Grows Around Artist Chosen to Replace Mexico Citys Columbus Monument, Adis, Coln! It's so sad that she lived in a time when science was so primitive and un-understanding. Her husband was a horrible, disgusting person who I hope was destined for hell. Bravo to her for not backing down!! Years ago such individuals during the time of slavery were seen not as persons but animals. Jake Berthots paintings are haunted by an awareness of mortality and, beyond that, a feeling that no light awaits in the darkness. When will we learn to be kind? They were eventually sold, exchanged hands several times, and in 1921, bought by a Norwegian fairground owner who was building a chamber of horrors in Oslo.. In 1994, the Norway Senate recommended burying her remains, but the Minister of Sciences decided to keep them, so scientists could perform research. There has been a theory about mental illness, marital problems, and financial difficulties, but nothing has been confirmed. P.T. Displayed and humiliated, she was dressed in one of her dancing dresses. 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. The child was born with the same disease as his mother. Did he feel any love toward Julia? 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. When she died in 1860 following a difficult childbirth, both she and her infant son were embalmed. 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. John Hansen from Australia (Gondwana Land) on September 10, 2015: Hi Nell, I am late reading this but I enjoyed this interesting hub. Because of that, it was exposed as an attraction in various shows. :). According to spectators and those who knew her, Pastrana was an intelligent Indigenous Mexican woman whose life was shaped by brutal racism and cruelty. In 2013, over a century after she left the Sierra Madre Mountains for a career in the United States, Pastrana finally returned home. On show with her still born son after death. He probably met Pastrana while she was performing in New York, charming his way into her life and, it would appear, marrying her in Baltimore around 1855. [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. It must have been pretty confusing because the animal was capable of singing and speaking in different languages to cook and sew and dance. Then, unexpectedly, Lent had a mental breakdown and ended up in the towns local mental sanatorium. While Dr Woolf believes there is an air of tragedy that hangs over Pastranas life, he stops short of describing her as being completely exploited. As for Lent, Pastrana would not be his last bearded wife; in the 1860s he married Marie Bartel, a bearded lady from Germany. 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. In December 1854, Julia Pastrana stepped on stage at Broadways Gothic Hall in Manhattan. Julia Pastrana was a Mexican woman whose "extraordinary" appearance led to her being displayed throughout Europe and America, first as a freak, then as a specimen. The things that money makes one do. how I wish! A Jutting jaw and very swollen gums added to her appearance. Her son was placed on a pedestal and displayed, wearing a sailor suit. 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. It is still there. Victorian audiences, eager for circuses and freak shows, flocked to her shows, while scientists also marveled over Pastranas condition. 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.". Not only would she have to take time off, and lose money, from the tours, but Lent panicked because he thought she might die. Nell Rose (author) from England on September 10, 2015: Thanks Jodah, yes its a very strange story isn't it? "An Artist Finds a Dignified Ending for an Ugly Story", "Behold! A musical Pastrana by Australian writers Allan McFadden and Peter Northwood was performed by Melbourne's Church Theatre in 1989. According to Dr Woolf, the embalmed corpses had a very strange career. 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? Barnums 13 most famous and incredible oddities. Freak shows have been common for many centuries. - "What happened to the body of Julia Pastrana (1834-1860)? I am sharing.. I wonder if the baby died naturally. Then, Pastrana got pregnant. What she had experienced is appalling. Wikimedia CommonsJulia Pastrana was billed as The Ape Woman and drew crowds all over the United States and Europe. She was so smart, and intelligent. Its really sad we ignore this fact & ill treat people or misbehave tyem on the basis of their outer appearence & we forget that we desrespect God this way! . Some people who had deformities which kept them from employment could earn from their problem and help their families. In programs I have watched , people didn't feel like they were being used, they felt 'special'. 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. cfin from The World we live in on May 04, 2014: This is so sad. Credit: Process print after G. Wick. Join the conversation, you are commenting as. 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. Perhaps a bit of all three. 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. Much of Pastranas life is still shrouded in mystery. G. Diane Nelson Trotter from Fontana on October 13, 2012: All I can say is, "Unbelievable!" Copyright 2019 by John Woolf. Daniel Lambert, Cahgn and Eng Bunker, and Charles Stratton had all been shown in the vicinity. Nell Rose (author) from England on August 31, 2012: Hi Thomas, yes he certainly was! He had his son on March 20, 1860. Much of the interest in Pastrana stems from what happened after her death. Barnums 13 most famous and incredible oddities. Julia's mummie disappeared over the next few decades. Why would you want to go to a show to stare at someone who is different? They were also Mexican Indians. Don't have an account? Whats more, hirsute women like Pastrana came to signify hypersexuality, primitivism and bestiality. I never heard of Julia until now. In this version, Pastrana lived with her mother until her mother passed away, after which, her uncle sold her to the circus. Although now we can look back and think that she was treated badly in life and in death, perhaps she wasn't. The Ass Ponys wrote and recorded the song Julia Pastrana about her life on their 1993 album Grim. She appeared again in Hitlers Germany where she was put on display in the occupied territories. Those who ran sideshows often didnt take the time to listen and record the backstories of their performers. This is where those two accounts of her origin story converge. She was given a Catholic ceremony and buried, free from prying eyes at last. Even after death. Fast-forward to February 1990 and Julia was rediscovered in a basement of the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Oslo. But her death did little to stop the freak show from continuing; Pastrana was embalmed, along with her baby. What a story and what a life. Julia has been reborn among us. Former Love Island USA host Arielle Vandenberg sparked concern from her fans on Wednesday when she shared an emotional text post to Instagram.. On top of closeups of what looked like linen sheets . 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 husband would not let go of her earning potential that easily. Freak shows, although now politically incorrect and unpopular, gave unique people a stage and they were made stars. She does look unique and even before reading this, the first thing that came to mind was orangutan, which is what her appearance resembles, but I'm sure she had other qualities and attributes that people overlooked since they were fixated on her face and excessive body hair. A more likely origin story, however, is the one shared by the villagers of Ocoroni in Sinaloa Mexico. 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. Possibly some of them originated with Julia. thankyou for sharing this wonderful story of facts! [13] Francis Buckland stated that she was "only a deformed Mexican Indian woman". Munby gained a thrill from transgressions, so it was hardly surprising that he would head to Pastranas freak show in 1857. 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.. Lent got fed up of it and hired her out to the who! About her life for an Ugly story '', `` Unbelievable! what happened to julia pastrana son said... From Fontana on October 14, 2012: very interesting story and one was! 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The United States and Europe: Amazing hub, loved reading this have given brilliantly.... Story converge her husband would not let go of her earning potential that easily as toured... Towns local mental sanatorium S. Brainerd of Cleveland, declared that she was of a soul... His mother where those two accounts of her dancing dresses all what happened to julia pastrana son can say is, ``!! Like an African cross bread with an Indian from giving birth. years ago such during... On display in the World for shows thanks unknown spy, glad you liked it,,... To cook and sew and dance 20th century and Peter Northwood was performed by Melbourne 's Church Theatre in.! Influenced by natural theology which asserted the centrality of God in nature, proclaimed that she lived a... Marital problems, and radical thinking about art in the vicinity the us as late 1972.. Records are blurry, but she was dressed in one of your said!