According to spectators and those who knew her, Pastrana was an intelligent Indigenous Mexican woman whose life was shaped by brutal racism and cruelty. Wikimedia CommonsThe embalmed body of Julia Pastrana on display. Voted up. Levertis Steele from Southern Clime on May 04, 2014: Oh, how sad. 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. In fact after Pastrana died, he toured his late wifes corpse, then found another bearded woman to marry. Credit: Process print after G. Wick. At four and a half feet, she was also said to look very like an ape in features. Even after she and her baby died. [17] Although generically referred to as a "mummy" by some authors, her preserved body was technically not a mummy because it was not mummified. It affected her very deeply in her heart with sadness, Otto related. 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. Mahaveer Sanglikar from Pune, India on August 15, 2012: Interesting information about an unfortunate lady. Dr John Woolf, the author of The Wonders: Lifting the Curtain on the Freak Show told news.com.au that Pastrana was popular among naturalists, attracting the attention of Alfred Wallace and Charles Darwin. 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. 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. He dissected them and then mummified them so that they could be put on display. 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. 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. According to Dr Woolf, against this backdrop were shady deals, cries of immorality, government crackdowns and even theft. All times AEDT (GMT +11). 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. Perhaps a bit of all three. [21][22] The production was nominated for five Melbourne Green Room Awards. 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. Its jaws, he continued, jagged fangs and ears are terrifically hideous. He concluded that she was a joke of nature.. There are people in all races that treat others like this even today. Then, Pastrana got pregnant. In 1857 they married, and even though Julia was quite fond of Lent, he treated her appallingly, taking her to scientists and Doctors who examined her without any dignity afforded to the poor girl. So Julia Pastranawhoever she really was, whatever the true nature of her storywas placed onstage and under the stares of an audience who were informed that she was the horrific product of a bestial union with, as the publicity stated, the face of a Baboonthe body and limbs of a Womanthe skin of a Bearwherein the nature of woman predominates over the Ourang-Outangs. She might be part-animal but she was also a Lady in every respect. And all of this was being assiduously promoted by the man she loved. [11] Vandals broke into the storage facility in August 1976 and damaged the baby's body. 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. Nell Rose (author) from England on September 01, 2012: Thanks so much everyone, I am a bit behind so I will on this occasion just leave one comment and run over to your hubs! They were also Mexican Indians. The embalmed body of Julia Pastrana on display. 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. And, at times, it reads like a gothic horror story.. According to Dr Woolf, the embalmed corpses had a very strange career. That husband needed a good lashing, indeed. 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. The child was born with the same disease as his mother. 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. As . 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. This informed his sense of disgust.. At last Julia Pastrana has come home. Julia Pastrana was born in 1834 into an Indigenous community in the Sierra Madre in Mexico. It's so sad that she lived in a time when science was so primitive and un-understanding. That must have been de0humanizing to Lent. During her life, Pastrana performed across America and Europe in a number of spaces including the circus where she performed on horseback. I wonder if the baby died naturally. [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. Poor lady and her child. Wellcome Library, LondonAn ad for Julia Pastranas show. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. lol! Pastrana, an indigenous woman from Mexico, was born in 1834, somewhere in the state of Sinaloa. Voted up etc and pinned. Cathleen J Wyatt from Reno, NV on May 18, 2012: 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. Barnums 13 most famous and incredible oddities. He had his son on March 20, 1860. 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. Register, Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout. Friends and family members of Julia Murray said that she was a loving mother who adored her children. I guess i am a few years behind but i am glad i stumbled onto your hubpage. Someone must have cared enough about her to educate her, and teach her to sing and dance, don't you think?? P.T. The comments you have received are to be commended Nell - superb article written with love, respect and tenderness. Barnums 13 most famous and incredible oddities. Killer sweating sickness that terrified a King. The name she was billed under was a cruel and sad insult to her condition. 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. He was intimate with her and they produced a child. thanks! 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. While the mysteries of Pastrana's formative years leave the historians grappling for the truth, these very . At last Julia has been laid to rest in her home state of Sinaloa De Leyva in Mexico on Tuesday 12th February 2013. lol. how I wish! She was said to be a skilled performer, who could dance, sing, act and speak multiple languages. how awful was that? 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. Doctors declared her a human and orangutan hybrid, and her talent at dance and song were displayed as a contrast to her seemingly unfeminine appearance. This was soooooo well written, and from an outstanding perspective. WHOA! Thanks for sharing her story and giving her the honor she deserved! A newly identified sculpture in Easter Island found in a dried wetland intrigues researchers studying the Rapa Nui society. Her body was covered in hair, and her face even more so. I hope some day she gets the proper burial that she deserves. However, during her performances, she demonstrated her intelligence and talent: singing, dancing, and interacting with the audience.[10]. Julia Pastrana (1834-1860) was a Mexican woman who suffered from various diseases that affected her physical appearance. It is good to know she was eventually returned home for a dignified burial she deserved. floriferous from Canada on June 25, 2012: Great storytelling Nell. This was a radical idea that discombobulated mans place in nature. 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. 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. Much like Tom Thumb, Pastrana was a gifted performer who starred in her own play, Der Curierte Meyer, about a dairyman who falls for Pastrana, whose face is covered in a veil (lifted for the audiences amusement). I think she was featured in an article as a freak, along with others. She then joined the circus, traveling across Germany to Warsaw and, by late 1859, Moscow. I remember watching a documentary piece 20/20 or some such and the whole family had the disorder. No one knows what prompted her to commit such a heinous act. In 1855, Pastrana was married to Theodore Lent, who saw her as a path to fortune and fame. Sadly the child died after thirty-five hours. Much of Pastranas life is still shrouded in mystery. Yet with all this, she was substantially human: she spoke several languages, sang, danced, was lively and intelligent. What she had experienced is appalling. When Lent remarried another bearded lady, Marie Bartel, he got back the corpses and had his new wife perform alongside his old, embalmed family. The marriage lasted 15 years until 1895, when the pair were divorced, and Jones subsequently married again. As such, the life of many sideshow performers, Julia Pastrana included, is marred by sensationalism and exploitation. Nell Rose (author) from England on November 26, 2012: Thanks Michele, yes it was such a shame that someone with so much talent was treated like this purely because of the way she looked, sadly it still happens today in some countries, thanks so much for reading, nell. Julia has been reborn among us. lol! Something went way wrong in the chromosome department when she was conceived. Recently, she was reburied . Or do we? It seems she is very self assured despite her fate and circumstances and made the best of her situation. I guess, some people are born with sad stories and she is definitely one of them. . I don't know when I have read more interesting info. 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. She had great poise. :). 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. Jenna Pope from Southern California on August 31, 2012: It is so awful how people who are different are treated. Soon she became better known on stage than just being a 'Freak', as they used to call people like her. 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. He said she had an exceedingly good figure despite being hideous., Hermann Otto, a circus owner, was even more damning in his descriptions of her. I also admire her and think she must have been such an amazing lady. Pastrana was not alone in her fate. [14], Charles Darwin discussed her case after her death, describing her as follows: "Julia Pastrana, a Spanish dancer, was a remarkably fine woman, but she had a thick masculine beard and a hairy forehead; she was photographed, and her stuffed skin was exhibited as a show; but what concerns us is, that she had in both the upper and lower jaw an irregular double set of teeth, one row being placed within the other, of which Dr. Purland took a cast. 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. He named her Zenora Pastrana. Eventually, Lent got fed up of It and hired her out to the person who would pay the most for the privilege. After her 1857 London exhibition Lent and Pastrana travelled across Europe. It was 162 years ago this month that Pastrana was first put on display for the public, with newspaper advertisements using the most vile racist descriptions of her. This not only reveals how people processed freak displays but also how the freak never engendered a similar response it depended on your outlook. Pastrana had very few friends, and one, a singer from Vienna, lamented the light fog of sadness that trailed her. Just as interesting as all of your Hubs and very engaging. I admire her dignity . 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. Julia Pastrana was an indigenous Mexican woman treated as a spectacle in life, and death. Jools Hogg from North-East UK on September 01, 2012: Nell, great hub - fascinating and heartbroken in equal measure. Julia Pastrana was bought and sold like a possession as well. The reasons for Julia Murray's suicide are not known. On show with her still born son after death. Her ears and nose were unusually large, and her teeth were irregular. (Its believed she died of complications from giving birth.) Linda Bilyeu from Orlando, FL on February 13, 2013: Great story Nell. 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.. At this time the press described Bartel as his property. But what about Lent and Pastrana? Nell Rose (author) from England on July 09, 2012: Hi femme, good morning! While her body now rests in peace in Sinaloa, Mexico, her memory must be kept alive to remind us of all that still needs to be done.. He was covered in hair. Today, thanks to a new book breathing life into Pastranas legacy, we know that her life, while undeniably colourful, was also incredibly brief. Listen To 9 Of The Most Haunting Sounds Ever Recorded, Inside The Disturbing History Of The Texas Killing Fields And All The Murders That Remain Unsolved, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. To defend the rights of all people is ourresponsibility. As for Lent, is he any different than, let's say Max Clifford? 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. 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. The delivery had also taken its toll on Pastrana and she died, following complications, in the early hours of March 25th, 1860. Advertisements declared her the Ape Woman or the Nondescript, a creature that could not be described. It's sad that one human being has to experience such cruelty from others. The most popular story is that she was found living in a cave with her mother and was taken to an orphanage where she was adopted by the governor of the state of Sinaloa who used her as his maid. lol! Deb Hirt from Stillwater, OK on April 22, 2017: I read this with deep sadness. Some people who had deformities which kept them from employment could earn from their problem and help their families. Nell Rose (author) from England on August 15, 2012: Hi jainismus, thanks so much for reading, nell. On March 20th 1860, Julia gave birth to a baby boy. thanks so much for reading, and you take care too! Dr Woolfs book also explores the reactions of two men who went to Pastranas exhibition. 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. These reactions provide a really interesting insight into how people viewed freaks. Suzette Walker from Taos, NM on May 04, 2014: Wow, Nell! Poor woman. And though she caused a stir with sold-out crowds as she toured across Europe and North America, her behind-the-scenes life was marked by sadness and tragedy. Annie Jones, initially billed as the Infant Esau at Barnums Museum, was allegedly secretly married to a showman when she had just turned 16. So we come to the end. By this time she had received many marriage proposals, and when asked why she had never married, she replied that they were not rich enough! After moving to Cleveland with another new promoter, J.W. One day and I hope very soon, she will be buried with dignity, and a statue will be erected to show us all, this woman of courage. Julia Pastrana Her face and body were covered with hair, she had very a large nose and ears and her teeth were irregular. Rumors abound about her early years: she was sold into show business by her parents; she was left to die in a forest but was miraculously rescued; she was protected by her mother, who, hailing from a so-called Root-Digger Indian tribe, fled the community when Pastrana was born. 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. 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. By this time, curiosity had begun to turn towards admiration, and she was invited to the Horticultural Society and the Boston History society. Bartra, Roger. she may look strange outside.. but i think what matters most is the inside.thanks for posting this. 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. The things that money makes one do. My collaborative artistic experiences in Mexico, Venezuela, and Trinidad prepared me for an undertaking that ultimately involved international institutions, government officials, various organizations, and scientists, Barbata said. But exploitation did occur, and I think Julia is a case in point although there are still complexities. The newspapers of the day said she was hideous, but in her favor she had a very nice singing voice.