Advertisements declared her the Ape Woman or the Nondescript, a creature that could not be described. Five days after her child died, Julia Pastrana followed due to postpartum complications. Saul Rubio Ayala the local mayor of her town stated 'Julia Pastrana has come home'. It's so sad that she lived in a time when science was so primitive and un-understanding. In 1860, Pastrana fell pregnant, giving birth to a baby boy who only lived for two days. When 23-year-old Pastrana was exhibited at the Queens Hall in London in 1857, the Liverpool Mercury newspaper described her as one of the most extraordinary beings ever presented to the public. The press also promised that a visit to the exhibition must afford ample scope for philosophical speculation and reflection. 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. Oh no. So sad that she was treated so badly. From The Wonders: The Extraordinary Performers Who Transformed the Victorian Age. Marie and Lent went to Russia, Lent went insane, and in 1888, Marie left Russia for Munich. Wow, Nell Rose. [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. Nell Rose (author) from England on October 16, 2019: Thanks Liz, I will take a look! I had never heard this story before, so thanks for sharing this. Julia Pastrana was born in the mountains of Western Mexico in 1834. If she was of another race would she be treated like this. She then became part of theSchreiner Collection in the University of Oslos anatomy department. By Marina Manoukian / Aug. 18, 2022 12:46 am EST. 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. While the mysteries of Pastrana's formative years leave the historians grappling for the truth, these very . 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. The marriage lasted 15 years until 1895, when the pair were divorced, and Jones subsequently married again. the "Ape Woman", the "Bear Woman", and "The Nondescript". Pastrana was subsequently taken to a local orphanage and eventually adopted by Seor Snchez, the governor for the state of Sinaloa in Mexico, who kept her as his maid. 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. [12] Another, Dr. S. Brainerd of Cleveland, declared that she was of a "distinct species". lol! 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. Join the conversation, you are commenting as. Today we find the behavior of Julia's promoters deplorable, whereas in years past, exploitation was perfectly acceptable for many. He had his son on March 20, 1860. And so, death didnt free Pastrana from public gawking. So glad she attained a fitting resting place. Nell Rose (author) from England on October 14, 2016: Thanks for reading margie, yes she was one heck of a lady wasn't she? Although now we can look back and think that she was treated badly in life and in death, perhaps she wasn't. It is amazing what some people would do for money. Julia Pastrana (1834-1860) was one of the most famous human curiosities of her time . 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. He went on to say ' Julia has been reborn among us, let us never see another woman be turned into an object of commerce'. lol! The Magazine Explaining America to the French, What Should You Read Next? 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. Julia Pastrana Her face and body were covered with hair, she had very a large nose and ears and her teeth were irregular. This informed his sense of disgust.. "Velvet" is directed by Celso Garca and is an international production with the support of various personalities behind and in front of the camera. Records are blurry, but she was likely born in 1834 somewhere in Mexico, on the Western slopes of the Sierra Madre:. its half eleven here in good old England! Originally from Oklahoma, she has been covering visual culture and overlooked history for print Julia Pastrana (1834-1860) was a Mexican woman who suffered from various diseases that affected her physical appearance. Teresa Coppens from Ontario, Canada on July 09, 2012: Very interesting story and one I was not familiar with. how awful was that? Torn to pieces! such a darn shame, thanks so much for reading, nell, Hi Suzette, yes DNA has a lot to answer for! Nell Rose (author) from England on July 01, 2020: I totally agree with you Alvene. Why they married we dont know for sure. The Supernatural and Psychic Index Hub by Nell Rose. [2], Multiple versions of Pastrana's early life exist. Julia Pastrana. Nell Rose (author) from England on May 06, 2014: Hi Wiccan, thanks so much for reading, yes even though she was regarded as the ugliest woman in the world she still held her head high even though her husband treated her appallingly, its taken all these years for her and the baby to be buried! Since birth, Julia was diagnosed with a harsh genetic condition - generalized hypertrichosis lanuginose and it was unknown at that time. What a story and what a life. Aw thanks epi, you are kinda amazing yourself! Her wily husband immediately sold the bodies of his wife and child to anatomy professor Sokolov of the Moscow University for a price. Good article! It was not until 2013 that she was finally laid to rest in her birthplace of Mexico with a proper burial. While giving birth, doctors had to use forceps to deliver her baby, resulting in several severe lacerations. 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. From March 22 to 26, over 70 local, national, and international galleries present extraordinary art at accessible prices. In fact after Pastrana died, he toured his late wifes corpse, then found another bearded woman to marry. So glad I discovered it ans I find stories with mysterious elements like this one fascinating. Great ending to a sad story, Nell. Possibly some of them originated with Julia. When she died in 1860 following a difficult childbirth, both she and her infant son were embalmed. 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. Her manager Theodore Lent, meanwhile, also did his best to entice the public by billing her as half woman and half animal. She was believed to have been born within a small tribe of Native Americans on the western slopes of Mexico. This was soooooo well written, and from an outstanding perspective. such a darn shame! lol! 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. Beach, but in 1854, she eloped with Theodore Lent, marrying him in Baltimore, Maryland. A newly identified sculpture in Easter Island found in a dried wetland intrigues researchers studying the Rapa Nui society. 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 . Why would you want to go to a show to stare at someone who is different? Juliet Christie Murray from Sandy Bay Jamaica on November 25, 2012: Well this is truly amazing.This hub could have made you a millionaire but the content was so spell binding and mind boggling that I get the feeling no one saw the ads. . Then in 1990, Julia was eventually found in the basement of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, in Oslo, Norway. G. Diane Nelson Trotter from Fontana on October 13, 2012: All I can say is, "Unbelievable!" I agree with you in that I hope she will receive a proper burial. In 1864, they were being displayed around Sweden. Tim Truzy from U.S.A. on December 04, 2018: Stranger than fiction, Nell. A year later, Marie gave the corpses to a German impresario and they were exhibited in numerous fairs. Thank you for reading. Nell Rose (author) from England on September 02, 2012: Hi Sujeet, thanks so much for reading, nell. Standing in front of an audience of thousands, Julia looked down at the audience and sang in a most beautiful voice. Cover of The Eye of the Beholder: Julia Pastranas Long Journey Home (courtesy Lucia|Marquand). Voted up. Recently, she was reburied . Genevieve Carlton earned a Ph.D in history from Northwestern University with a focus on early modern Europe and the history of science and medicine before becoming a history professor at the University of Louisville. In April 1854 she left Snchez, having been persuaded by a showman to perform in America, and in December 1854, at the Gothic Hall musical theater on Broadway, she was billed as the Marvelous Hybrid or Bear Woman. To put it bluntly, by suppressing the truth of Pastranas story, showmen could peddle the claim that she was the product of an unholy union between man and beast: Her Remarkable Formation, and Mysterious Parentage, claimed one piece of publicity, and how she was Discovered in a Cave, suckled by her Indian Mother, Dwelling with Baboons, Bears, and Monkeys., According to the press, the delicate inference is obvious, but this didnt stop Lent hammering home the point. And even more so when most of us probably agree that treatment today would not be much different. Munby gained a thrill from transgressions, so it was hardly surprising that he would head to Pastranas freak show in 1857. These reactions provide a really interesting insight into how people viewed freaks. Its jaws, he continued, jagged fangs and ears are terrifically hideous. He concluded that she was a joke of nature.. Thanks so much Deborah, I wrote this after reading about her years and years ago, and she seemed to stay in my mind, I just suddenly realised that I wanted to know more about her and what happened to her in the end, I am so glad you liked it, and thanks! 2010. At four and a half feet, she was also said to look very like an ape in features. It shows how two spectators from similar socio-economic backgrounds could respond in very different ways to the same performance. 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. But her death did little to stop the freak show from continuing; Pastrana was embalmed, along with her baby. They looked nothing like the pictures displayed outside their cubicles. And, at times, it reads like a gothic horror story.. John Hansen from Australia (Gondwana Land) on September 10, 2015: Hi Nell, I am late reading this but I enjoyed this interesting hub. I like to think it did, but we dont know for sure.. In a way, her greedy husband got a small taste of the pain she went thru in her life. Julia Pastrana was a famous sideshow performer in her day, but her celebrity was marred by racism and bigotry. I voted up for sure. 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. Fast-forward to February 1990 and Julia was rediscovered in a basement of the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Oslo. 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. 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. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. Hi Juliet, lol! All Julia could think of was, please be healthy and not have a personality like your father. And of course Lent took this as permission to treat her like it, I would say that I am glad this doesn't happen any more but of course it does. 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 Nell Rose (author) from England on September 10, 2015: Thanks Jodah, yes its a very strange story isn't it? Nell Rose (author) from England on July 10, 2012: Hi Teresa, thanks so much for reading, yes Julia Pastrana was a very unique person, and I hope one of these days that she will have a statue or some sort of commemorative piece to honor her, thanks so much, nell. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. This is where those two accounts of her origin story converge. Wikimedia CommonsThe embalmed body of Julia Pastrana on display. According to Dr Woolf, this description probably went a long way towards many people denying Pastrana her humanity. He saw Pastrana through this lens which informed his reaction: she was wonderful because she was a case of Gods handiwork, the marvels of Gods universe. Hi The Annoying Life, love the name! Eventually, Lent and his new bride retired to St. Petersburg and set up shop in a small waxworks museum. He was also a secret sadomasochist. But she was also subjected to multiple intrusive examinations as doctors tried to reveal the mystery behind her appearance one doctor claimed she was the result of mating between a human and an orangutan, while another stated that she was a distinct species., Others agreed that she was just a normal woman with a disease.. thanks for reading. Thanks for sharing! They were so cruel to her. Just as interesting as all of your Hubs and very engaging. BookTok is Good, Actually: On the Undersung Joys of a Vast and Multifarious Platform, 10 Crime Novels You Should Read This March, 11 Speculative Fiction Titles Out in 2023 Perfect for Crime Fans, Women Outside the Structure: Victorian Widows and Governesses. Amazing story. 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.. 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. Addressing ethical issues and human remains" There are no birth, baptism or early records enabling a reconstruction of Julia Pastranas formative years, but she was probably born in 1834 in the Sierra Madre region of Mexico. How Has the Publishing Industry Been Affected by Trump? 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. In 1855, Pastrana was married to Theodore Lent, who saw her as a path to fortune and fame. You know it's not what is on the outside that matters but it what in a person's heart that matters. 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. They were exhibited in numerous fairs totally agree with you Alvene Julia could think of was, please healthy. 70 local, national, and from an outstanding perspective different ways to the exhibition must afford ample scope philosophical... 1834-1860 ) was one of the Eye of the Arena Platform, Inc. Other product company. Saul Rubio Ayala the local mayor of her town stated 'Julia Pastrana has come home ' was to. Sold the bodies of his wife and child to anatomy professor Sokolov of Eye! As interesting as all of your Hubs and very engaging 1860, Pastrana what happened to julia pastrana son,. 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