Six visual arts organizations across Europe are collaborating on a new project addressing togetherness, fairness, responsibility, and kindness. This was a disaster. Advertisement for Julia Pastrana, the Nondescript (via Wellcome Collection). 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. Julia Pastrana has come home, declared Saul Rubio Ayala, the mayor of Sinaloa de Leyva. Julia has been reborn among us. 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. Kevin Martin from United States on August 15, 2012: This story is very, very interesting and sad. She arrived, steeped in mystery, and her life was as strange and sad as her birth. Displayed and humiliated, she was dressed in one of her dancing dresses. 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. Standing at only four foot six, labor put her very life at risk. Perhaps a bit of all three. She appeared in a play called Der Curierte Meyer, which was a cross between a love story and a comedy. Marco Ferreri's film The Ape Woman (1964) is based on Pastrana's life story. Nell Rose (author) from England on June 25, 2012: Hi floriferous, I remember that on tv too, the bullying starts at school and spills over to adult life, even now, over a hundred years later, its still the same, will we never learn? 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. thanks as always, nell, Hi Silver, yes she definitely was, thanks so much for reading, nell, HI Blond Logic, Oh yes, Max Clifford! He renamed her Zenora Pastrana, luring in audiences with the claim that she was Julias younger sister. Suspiciously Suspect:Who Isand Isn'tan Unreliable Narrator? 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. 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. Lithograph of Julia Pastrana by V. Katzler circa 1860. Her body was taxidermically preserved. There has been a theory about mental illness, marital problems, and financial difficulties, but nothing has been confirmed. His wealth meant nothing. 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. We've gained little empathy in the past 150 years or so. [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. She was described as sociable and polite, and, besides being undoubtedly the greatest living curiosity, she is a lady in every respect, with scientific men, ladies and children being highly used by her strange appearance, her dancing and singing. She danced the Highland fling, performed English and Spanish songs and conversed easily with the audience. Its quite a story , she really had amazing courage and grace. its half eleven here in good old England! Whats more, hirsute women like Pastrana came to signify hypersexuality, primitivism and bestiality. What a shame that Julia was subjected to such treatment during her lifetime and even afterward. You always find the most interesting people to write about. lol! 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. I remember watching a documentary piece 20/20 or some such and the whole family had the disorder. Maybe she could draw a distinction between her freak show persona, The Baboon Lady, and her identity offstage as Julia Pastrana. [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. Amazing story. He didnt write about her, though, until 1862 when he returned to another one of her shows, which was very different to the first. 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. Wikimedia CommonsJulia Pastrana was billed as The Ape Woman and drew crowds all over the United States and Europe. Julia Pastrana (1834-1860) was one of the most famous human curiosities of her time . That Lent guy was extremely heartless and he only truly cared about his money, but he got what he deserved. God made her and she is has a beautiful voice and GOD never made anything that He didn't love. [citation needed]. Our Own Devices: Sean Doolittle on Writing a Thriller About Technology. These restorative actions help to correct past injusticesbecause were also paving the way for a future where this does not happen again for all people, all of humanity, and thats why we do these things.. In fact after Pastrana died, he toured his late wifes corpse, then found another bearded woman to marry. :). She was adept at playing up to her billing as the Baboon Lady. Sadly, Pastrana didnt survive either, dying a couple of days after her baby. [16] The process was a blend of taxidermy techniques and embalming chemicals. Her body was "stuffed",[18] as noted by renowned naturalist and taxidermist Charles Darwin. she may look strange outside.. but i think what matters most is the inside.thanks for posting this. thanks for reading. After the death of his wife and child, he sold the bodies for 500 and they were sent for embalming at Moscow University with a view to their preservation in the Universitys Anatomical Museum. Nell Rose (author) from England on April 22, 2017: Thanks so much Lauren, glad you liked it. Nell Rose (author) from England on August 31, 2012: Hi Thomas, yes he certainly was! Beach, Julia began to turn the tide around and, charming the public with her grace, she began to get very well known, even being invited to grand balls and military gala's. 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. She appeared again in Hitlers Germany where she was put on display in the occupied territories. Thanks for sharing! While we might scoff at the idea that anyone could ever think a human was the product of a sexual encounter between an ape and a woman, for the Victorians this wasnt necessarily a crazy idea, Dr Woolf said. 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. 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. Sheila from Surprise Arizona - formerly resided in Washington State on September 01, 2012: Wow - what a fascinating story I could not stop reading. She was believed to have been born within a small tribe of Native Americans on the western slopes of Mexico. It's her face and she is stuck with it pretty much. 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. Literary giants have thoughts on the new edits to Roald Dahl's works. In the mid-1850s, she set off to travel and perform across the United States and Europe. Her ears and nose were unusually large, and her teeth were irregular. Just as interesting as all of your Hubs and very engaging. Dr Woolfs book also explores the reactions of two men who went to Pastranas exhibition. 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. I guess i am a few years behind but i am glad i stumbled onto your hubpage. RELATED: Queen Victorias freaky obsession, RELATED: Crucial find in Elephant Man mystery, RELATED: Killer sweating sickness that terrified a King. When she died in 1860 following a difficult childbirth, both she and her infant son were embalmed. thanks so much, and warm wishes to you back! Julia was then moved and the same thing happened again. This was enough to give Lent a nervous break down. I had never heard this story before, so thanks for sharing this. Julia finally went home but without her baby who was also human. 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. Complications during birth left her weak and drained. National Library of MedicineA photograph of Julia Pastrana. 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. When Lent remarried another bearded lady, Marie Bartel, he got back the corpses and had his new wife perform alongside his old, embalmed family. 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. Looking at the image of Julia she looked like an African cross bread with an Indian. Sheila Brown from Southern Oklahoma on June 18, 2012: This is a very well written and interesting story. What a great woman! Lerma Garay, Antonio. floriferous from Canada on June 25, 2012: Great storytelling Nell. Thats where Arthur Munby saw Pastrana for the second time. It is her persona, talents, charisma and courage she should be remembered for, and you captured those qualities beautifully here. 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! It's sad that one human being has to experience such cruelty from others. 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. That husband needed a good lashing, indeed. When Julia Pastrana died at the young age of 26, she was known as the "world's ugliest woman." Having spent almost her entire life being exhibited, with her death, it almost seemed like she could finally rest in peace. 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! The only parts of her body not covered in hair was the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet. At this time the press described Bartel as his property. But what about Lent and Pastrana? Possibly some of them originated with Julia. Nell Rose (author) from England on February 13, 2013: Thanks Linda, I have read this story since I was a kid, and she has always fascinated me, so glad you liked it, and thanks! But Julia Pastrana, of course, was no beast. 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! Theodore Lent displayed them across Europe and, when interest faded, he gave them to an English travelling museum of curiosities. Voted up. 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. Julia's last words on her deathbed were: "I die happy. It was only following a protracted campaign that Julia was finally brought back to Mexico and buried with dignity. 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. I guess, some people are born with sad stories and she is definitely one of them. I believe one day we all may be shocked at finding out who the real animals of the earth are. He dissected them and then mummified them so that they could be put on display. They were also Mexican Indians. 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. Mahaveer Sanglikar from Pune, India on August 15, 2012: Interesting information about an unfortunate lady. 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