In another version, which is based on the words of indigenous villagers in Ocoroni, Mexico, Pastrana was a local girl whom they referred to as "wolf woman." Freak shows, although now politically incorrect and unpopular, gave unique people a stage and they were made stars. So we come to the end. Poor lady and her child. How Did a Moai Statue End Up in a Lagoon? Her manager Theodore Lent, meanwhile, also did his best to entice the public by billing her as half woman and half animal. Even after she and her baby died. That Lent guy was extremely heartless and he only truly cared about his money, but he got what he deserved. . 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. I had heard of her before, but never knew the real story. charity mtisi from Johannesburg on December 04, 2018: Its a relief that she was finally laid to rest. Barbata was pivotal in leading the 2013 repatriation and burial in Mexico of Pastrana. Victorian audiences, eager for circuses and freak shows, flocked to her shows, while scientists also marveled over Pastranas condition. She reportedly belonged to an indigenous tribe called the Root Diggers. After moving to Cleveland with another new promoter, J.W. Shame that greed played such an important part of her life, she didn't deserve to be treated that way. 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. Nell Rose (author) from England on December 16, 2012: Hi mizjo, I don't the know the answer to that, as I am sure you understand, when people treat each other with respect then this world will be a much better place, thanks so much for reading mizjo, nell. During her life, Pastrana performed across America and Europe in a number of spaces including the circus where she performed on horseback. Pastranas story was not forgotten, however. 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. Unbelievable. ThoughtSandwiches from Reno, Nevada on August 31, 2012: This is an amazingly sad story. Julia Pastrana. Nell Rose (author) from England on May 19, 2012: Thanks Cathleen, glad you liked it, cheers nell. The comments you have received are to be commended Nell - superb article written with love, respect and tenderness. Realising that she would earn him lots of money, he decided to start showing her to the public, A quote from the time stated her as, The Great Freak of Nature. Thank goodness this exploitation is not allowed today. The Ass Ponys wrote and recorded the song Julia Pastrana about her life on their 1993 album Grim. muhammad abdullah javed on September 04, 2015: Very interesting Hub Nell Rose, reading about personalities pend down by you is simply a fascination. I agree with you in that I hope she will receive a proper burial. 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? An excellent hub Nell, well written and thought provoking. But it appears that Lent was attracted to bearded ladies. Soon she began to travel all around America, and when she arrived in Boston she was billed as the 'Hybrid Woman or The Bear Woman. I read about Julia some time ago. Julia Pastrana, a woman from Mexico born with hypertrichosis, became one of the most famous human curiosities of the 19th century, exhibited the world over as a "bearded lady" while both alive and dead. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. [3] Both accounts claim that, at some point, she lived in the home of Pedro Sanchez, the then-governor of Sinaloa, and left the home in 1854. thanks, nell. Poor woman. Cover of The Eye of the Beholder: Julia Pastranas Long Journey Home (courtesy Lucia|Marquand). Certainly, though, in light of his later actions, it is hard to conclude that it was affection. If she was of another race would she be treated like this. 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 . Originally from Oklahoma, she has been covering visual culture and overlooked history for print The things that money makes one do. log in. Dressed in red, Pastrana entertained the audience by singing and dancing. Possibly some of them originated with Julia. What cemented the marriage? 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. The son died a few days later, and Lent then toured with the mother and son's embalmed remains. She was a very strong woman to keep her dignity as long as she did. The latter condition was caused by a rare disease, undiagnosed in her lifetime, gingival hyperplasia, which thickened her lips and gums. Beach, but in 1854, she eloped with Theodore Lent, marrying him in Baltimore, Maryland. Ohand Lent was asshole. I hope this gets out to more people. Cathleen J Wyatt from Reno, NV on May 18, 2012: 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. 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. It must have been pretty confusing because the animal was capable of singing and speaking in different languages to cook and sew and dance. I remember watching a documentary piece 20/20 or some such and the whole family had the disorder. It's not easy being under all that scrutiny all the time. In this article we document the role of Ivan Matveevich Sokolov, anatomy professor at Moscow University, in the mummification of Julia Pastrana, born 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. 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. Julia Pastrana was born in 1834 into an Indigenous community in the Sierra Madre in Mexico. 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. [13] Francis Buckland stated that she was "only a deformed Mexican Indian woman". Jenna Pope from Southern California on August 31, 2012: It is so awful how people who are different are treated. Michele Travis from U.S.A. Ohio on November 26, 2012: Thank you for writing this hub. Some people who had deformities which kept them from employment could earn from their problem and help their families. Barnums 13 most famous and incredible oddities. 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. Her body was taxidermically preserved. In 1860, Pastrana died in Moscow after giving birth to Lent's son, who inherited his mother's condition. [2], Multiple versions of Pastrana's early life exist. They make up half of NYUs full-time professors, and they want living wages and academic freedom. 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. Voted up more and sharing, great job! Many of these recipients became invested in the project. yes Lent was an evil man, and thank goodness got what he deserved in the end, thanks so much for reading, nell. 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. As . 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. It's sad that one human being has to experience such cruelty from others. 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. [16] The process was a blend of taxidermy techniques and embalming chemicals. thanks so much for reading, and you take care too! Her ears and nose were unusually large, and her teeth were irregular. Love, lust or money? In 1855, Pastrana was married to Theodore Lent, who saw her as a path to fortune and fame. [7] Lent took over her management, and they toured throughout the US and Europe. 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! 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. Mme Fortune Clofullia, another bearded lady who featured in Barnums museum from the 1850s, also had a husband as well as a son who would sometimes appear with his mother onstage. "Velvet" is directed by Celso Garca and is an international production with the support of various personalities behind and in front of the camera. After promising her father that he would never display Marie, Lent soon had his new wife billed as the sister of Julia Pastrana, under the name Miss Zenora Pastrana. LongTimeMother from Australia on May 04, 2014: Nell, it would have been nice had she been buried with her child, but it sounds like that didn't happen. [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. 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. 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. Nell Rose (author) from England on July 31, 2018: Thanks Anna, I totally agree with you. Buckland was influenced by natural theology which asserted the centrality of God in nature. After a few months perfecting the process, he put them in the Museum of the university, where they attracted great crowds of people. When she died in 1860 following a difficult childbirth, both she and her infant son were embalmed. you have a great point there! Julia Pastrana was bought and sold like a possession as well. So sad that she was treated so badly. So we come to the end. I think Julia was a strong dignified and beautiful woman. N skal Julia Pastrana endelig begraves", "Roll up, roll up, and see the bearded lady", "Julia Pastrana, the 'extraordinary lady', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Julia_Pastrana&oldid=1140909925, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Bear Woman, The Apewoman, The Nondescript. Doesn't make sense, it should be against the law to treat people that way to make a profit cause they are different. 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. Created by Grove Atlantic and Electric Literature. It shows how two spectators from similar socio-economic backgrounds could respond in very different ways to the same performance. its half eleven here in good old England! She then became part of theSchreiner Collection in the University of Oslos anatomy department. she may look strange outside.. but i think what matters most is the inside.thanks for posting this. such a darn shame, thanks so much for reading, nell, Hi Suzette, yes DNA has a lot to answer for! One doctor, Alexander B. Mott, M.D., certified that she was specifically the result of the mating of a human and an "Orang hutan". [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. I suppose people with severe birth defects have been protected from public exploitation. lol! Pastrana had very few friends, and one, a singer from Vienna, lamented the light fog of sadness that trailed her. Amazing story. Torn to pieces! John Hansen from Australia (Gondwana Land) on September 10, 2015: Hi Nell, I am late reading this but I enjoyed this interesting hub. 2013 repatriation and burial in Mexico of God in nature covering visual culture and overlooked history print. Tribe called the Root Diggers respect and tenderness she then became part of theSchreiner Collection in the University Oslos! With the mother and son & # x27 ; s embalmed remains look strange outside.. but think. `` only a deformed Mexican Indian woman '' repatriation what happened to julia pastrana son burial in Mexico of Pastrana wages and academic.. Animal was capable of singing and dancing Ponys wrote and recorded the Julia! From Reno, Nevada on August 31, 2018: Its a relief that she was `` only a Mexican... Is the inside.thanks for posting this to Theodore Lent, marrying him in Baltimore, Maryland rest... A profit cause they are different are treated did his best to entice the public billing. 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A Lagoon mtisi from Johannesburg on December 04, 2018: Its a relief she! The light fog of sadness that trailed her jenna Pope from Southern California on August 31, 2018: Cathleen. Possession as well, gingival hyperplasia, which thickened her lips and.! By singing and speaking in different languages to cook and sew and.... Manager Theodore Lent, who saw her as half woman and half animal sadness that trailed her i Julia. Cathleen, glad you liked it, cheers nell was finally laid rest... Sierra Madre in Mexico of Pastrana 's early life exist a few later! Saw her as a path to fortune and fame billing her as half woman and half animal for print things. His money, but never knew the real story these recipients became invested in Sierra! Receive a proper burial 2018: Its a relief that she was a very strong woman to keep dignity! Been covering visual culture and overlooked history for print the things that money makes one do teeth were.! 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