Join the conversation, you are commenting as. Beach, but in 1854, she eloped with Theodore Lent, marrying him in Baltimore, Maryland. 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. 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. Our Own Devices: Sean Doolittle on Writing a Thriller About Technology. 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.. Lent even tracked down another woman named Marie Bartel who had the same condition as Pastrana and married her. And the thing is, even today, cruel names are being given to people who "don't fit" something like "gorilla people of Mexico." But maybe Julia could distance herself from such claims. 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. I hope some day she gets the proper burial that she deserves. Pastranas manager, Theodore Lent, described her as half-woman, half-animal in a bid to increase ticket sales. So we come to the end. But exploitation did occur, and I think Julia is a case in point although there are still complexities. In 1994, the Norway Senate recommended burying her remains, but the Minister of Sciences decided to keep them, so scientists could perform research. Used with the permission of the publisher. Julia Pastrana (1834-1860) was one of the most famous human curiosities of her time . 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. For over a hundred years, the bodies of Pastrana and her son were displayed around the world in museums, circuses and amusement parks. She arrived, steeped in mystery, and her life was as strange and sad as her birth. I am sharing.. But it appears that Lent was attracted to bearded ladies. The only parts of her body not covered in hair was the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet. 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. His reaction was ultimately one of wonder and he saw Pastrana as simply wonderful. This was a radical idea that discombobulated mans place in nature. I will be back to read more of them. He was also a secret sadomasochist. Images in The Eye of the Beholder show Pastrana in elaborate costumes, and holding flowers, all part of the attempted shock at contrasting these hyper feminine accessories to her hairy face. I had no idea .. wow.. As such, the life of many sideshow performers, Julia Pastrana included, is marred by sensationalism and exploitation. They appeared in Norway in 1921 and toured the US as late as 1972. The problem with trying to understand Julia Pastranas history is that multiple versions of her life story exist. One of the best beards in history was grown by a woman named Julia Pastrana. 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. Today, thanks to a new book breathing life into Pastranas legacy, we know that her life, while undeniably colourful, was also incredibly brief. Oh no. She went through a lot. The marriage lasted 15 years until 1895, when the pair were divorced, and Jones subsequently married again. One of these men was Francis Buckland an eccentric naturalist who first saw the living Pastrana in 1857 and the dead Pastrana in 1862. 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. 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. 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. Nell Rose (author) from England on July 09, 2012: Hi femme, good morning! For example, its claimed Julia said Lent Loves me for my own sake. Its quite a story , she really had amazing courage and grace. John Hansen from Australia (Gondwana Land) on September 10, 2015: Hi Nell, I am late reading this but I enjoyed this interesting hub. [12] Another, Dr. S. Brainerd of Cleveland, declared that she was of a "distinct species". Julia has been reborn among us. Her mother was constantly dehumanised as a Root-Digger Indian who lived among apes with the insinuation that she copulated with the animal kingdom and Julia was the product, he said. Photograph by George Wick of the embalmed Julia Pastrana (via Wellcome Collection), Pages from The Eye of the Beholder: Julia Pastranas Long Journey Home (photo of the book for Hyperallergic). Freak shows have been common for many centuries. Jenna Pope from Southern California on August 31, 2012: It is so awful how people who are different are treated. 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. He was never going to be able to enjoy it. In fact after Pastrana died, he toured his late wifes corpse, then found another bearded woman to marry. Years ago such individuals during the time of slavery were seen not as persons but animals. 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. The baby was torn to pieces. Or do we? The Supernatural and Psychic Index Hub by Nell Rose. ..and don't forget my alter-ego - Jo Jo the dog faced Boy - lol - and yes this incredible story reminds me of The Elephant Man - and that beauty is always found from within -even though the sensational part of it - has been focused on the 'outside' part .. And you are pretty incredible and beautiful yourself Nell as a writer and hubber both inside and out -sending you warm wishes and good energy from lake erie time ontario canada 1:18pm. BL: And then her coffin was put on the plane? [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. After this look at the tragic life of sideshow performer Julia Pastrana, check out more famous sideshow freaks. Then, meet P.T. 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. Many of these recipients became invested in the project. She spent her life being paraded onstage as one of the most popular freaks in the world, which continued even after she died. One artist said the Mauritshuis Museums decision to displayA Girl With a Pearl Earring made using Midjourney highly unethical.. This informed his sense of disgust.. According to Dr Woolf, against this backdrop were shady deals, cries of immorality, government crackdowns and even theft. 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. Nell Rose (author) from England on April 22, 2017: Thanks so much Lauren, glad you liked it. :). Pastrana was born in 1834 in Sinaloa, Mexico. I've heard of this woman and of other people with the same sad disorder. The only parts of her body not covered in hair was the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet. 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. Her looks resembled an ape. Pegasus Books. Tim Truzy from U.S.A. on December 04, 2018: Stranger than fiction, Nell. It is amazing what some people would do for money. Originally from Oklahoma, she has been covering visual culture and overlooked history for print cfin from The World we live in on May 04, 2014: This is so sad. Perhaps a bit of all three. But her death did little to stop the freak show from continuing; Pastrana was embalmed, along with her baby. As we will see, Lent emerges as a monster. That Lent guy was extremely heartless and he only truly cared about his money, but he got what he deserved. She had a great thirst for knowledge and willingly gave herself up to a medical examination. Lent sold her corpse and her baby son, to a professor of Moscow University. 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. You know it's not what is on the outside that matters but it what in a person's heart that matters. Julia finally went home but without her baby who was also human. 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? The show was closed on the grounds of obscenity, but Pastrana continued to perform Spanish dances and popular songs. 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. lol. 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. The newspapers of the day said she was hideous, but in her favor she had a very nice singing voice. Sheila Brown from Southern Oklahoma on June 18, 2012: This is a very well written and interesting story. There are people in all races that treat others like this even today. When she died in 1860 following a difficult childbirth, both she and her infant son were embalmed. According to Dr Woolf, the embalmed corpses had a very strange career. Silver Fish from Edinburgh Scotland on May 04, 2014: Amazing hub, loved reading this. I'd never heard of Julia or her condition before and your depiction of her life is both compelling and heart warming. At four and a half feet, she was also said to look very like an ape in features. Freak showmen capitalised on this there were numerous freak performers billed as Missing Links or proof of Darwins theory.. Only five days later, Julia was dead. Buckland was influenced by natural theology which asserted the centrality of God in nature. Eventually, Lent got fed up of It and hired her out to the person who would pay the most for the privilege. [16] The process was a blend of taxidermy techniques and embalming chemicals. Hi The Annoying Life, love the name! The moving image artist will discuss her investigative practice and the implications of digital image proliferation, taking place via livestream and in Philadelphia. lol! Yet with all this, she was substantially human: she spoke several languages, sang, danced, was lively and intelligent. Barbata was pivotal in leading the 2013 repatriation and burial in Mexico of Pastrana. Her ears and nose were unusually large, and her teeth were irregular. Aw thanks epi, you are kinda amazing yourself! The embalmed body of Julia Pastrana on display. It is held, I believe, that such an union as is this hinted at can never produce conception; the spermatozoa of beasts being unable to germinate in the human female, and vice versa? Pastrana's husband arranged to have her body and . Thank goodness this exploitation is not allowed today. thanks! Mike Robbers from London on February 14, 2013: What a story! Deb Hirt from Stillwater, OK on April 22, 2017: I read this with deep sadness. 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 remember watching a documentary piece 20/20 or some such and the whole family had the disorder. Poor woman. :). Soon she became better known on stage than just being a 'Freak', as they used to call people like her. Anyway, he responded to the living and dead Pastrana with a sense of disgust he was titillated but also disgusted by the embalmed Pastrana. She appeared in a play called Der Curierte Meyer, which was a cross between a love story and a comedy. After Pastrana's death, Lent sold her body and their son's body to Professor Sukolov of Moscow University who permanently preserved them. Certainly, though, in light of his later actions, it is hard to conclude that it was affection. They re-emerged and were displayed in Norway during the beginning of the 20th century. [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. In 1862 Julia returned to England. 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. They were so cruel to her. But The Liverpool Mercury marveled, she is good-natured, sociable, and accommodating, pointing out that Julia was bilingual and could dance, sing, sew, cook, wash and iron.. 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. 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. Something went way wrong in the chromosome department when she was conceived. 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. I'm glad they finally laid Julia to rest. Her body was covered in hair, and her face even more so. Thats where Arthur Munby saw Pastrana for the second time. Dounia and the Princess of Aleppo (2022) is screening in New York this month to benefit earthquake relief in Syria. haha! Julia Pastrana was then transported to a private ceremony hosted by the university, at which the chancellor spoke with great respect and emotion. A special permit was required to gain access to her remains.[1]. 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. [11] The child survived only three days, and Pastrana died of postpartum complications five days later. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Marie Bartel, billed as the younger sister of Julia Pastrana. What a great woman! Much of Pastranas life is still shrouded in mystery. 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. over here its 20.38, so we are about 5 and a half hours different! I feel we still have much to learn from Julia Pastrana, Barbata affirmed. From The Wonders: The Extraordinary Performers Who Transformed the Victorian Age. Credit: Process print after G. Wick. What a story and what a life. Jake Berthots paintings are haunted by an awareness of mortality and, beyond that, a feeling that no light awaits in the darkness. What a shame that Julia was subjected to such treatment during her lifetime and even afterward. Susan Britton from Ontario, Canada on April 28, 2014: An amazing woman. 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. After her 1857 London exhibition Lent and Pastrana travelled across Europe. This story made me tear up. 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. Boo to her husband for being greedy!! I have seen what was called The Two-headed man, The Fat Lady, The Snake-eating man, and a few midgets. thanks so much for reading, and you take care too! Great ending to a sad story, Nell. Wellcome Library, LondonAn ad for Julia Pastranas show. Why they married we dont know for sure. Annie Jones, initially billed as the Infant Esau at Barnums Museum, was allegedly secretly married to a showman when she had just turned 16. Michelle Liew from Singapore on August 31, 2012: Hi, Nell. 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. 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. He didnt write about her, though, until 1862 when he returned to another one of her shows, which was very different to the first. In the fifties and sixties, the mummies were displayed, mainly as a curiosity. It's her face and she is stuck with it pretty much. Culiacn. The Heartbreaking, Hair-Raising Tale Of Freak Show Star Julia Pastrana, Mexico's Monkey Woman", "The Life and Death of Julia Pastrana, Bearded Woman on Parade", "Julia Pastrana: The 'circus freak' on show even in death", The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, "Julia Pastrana: A "Monster to the Whole World", "The Variation of Plants and Animals Under Domestication", "Hun ble vist frem som "apekvinne". She appeared again in Hitlers Germany where she was put on display in the occupied territories. I admire her dignity . A Jutting jaw and very swollen gums added to her appearance. Pastrana was not alone in her fate. The son died a few days later, and Lent then toured with the mother and son's embalmed remains. yes Lent was an evil man, and thank goodness got what he deserved in the end, thanks so much for reading, nell. Not many people believed that these mummies could possibly be real. Advertisements declared her the Ape Woman or the Nondescript, a creature that could not be described. Copyright 2019 by John Woolf. 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. By Bess Lovejoy. Julia was then moved and the same thing happened again. Suzette Walker from Taos, NM on May 04, 2014: Wow, Nell! Nell Rose (author) from England on September 04, 2015: Thanks so much m abdullah, glad you liked it, nell. There are various stories about her early life, and little is known for certain, but some accounts . 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. I never heard of Julia until now. 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. The delivery had also taken its toll on Pastrana and she died, following complications, in the early hours of March 25th, 1860. 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. Lerma Garay, Antonio. "El trgico viaje de una mujer salvaje mexicana al mundo civilizado". 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. 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! thanks so much, and warm wishes to you back! There has been a theory about mental illness, marital problems, and financial difficulties, but nothing has been confirmed. She was a human being and such claims would be hurtful to any of us; more so in the Victorian context when people were furiously debating the relationship between ape and man. All praise to God who has created each & every creature with so much variation & uniquenessdifferent looks outside as well inner constitution wise, but then all equal of their need for love, care and generousity towards them. In December 1854, Julia Pastrana stepped on stage at Broadways Gothic Hall in Manhattan. Heidi Thorne from Chicago Area on May 04, 2014: This story just shows how far society has really come in acceptance of those who are different than we are. I wonder if she was related to that family of Mexicans who were covered with hair. 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? Her body was exhibited all over Europe for decades until, finally, the bodies ended up in storage in Norway. Nell Rose (author) from England on October 14, 2016: Thanks for reading margie, yes she was one heck of a lady wasn't she? sounds fascinating. I believe one day we all may be shocked at finding out who the real animals of the earth are. 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. [13] Samuel Kneeland, Jr., a comparative anatomist of the Boston Society of Natural History, declared that she was human and of Indian descent. such a darn shame, thanks so much for reading, nell, Hi Suzette, yes DNA has a lot to answer for! 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.". 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). Then again, this was never a neat distinction unlike actors today who move between characters, Pastrana played one role which she literally embodied.. The mummified bodies of Pastrana and her son were absent from the public eye for a number of years. Julia Pastrana's last words on her deathbed were "I am dying happy". Lent returned to London in 1862 determined to continue with the freak show. 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. So glad I discovered it ans I find stories with mysterious elements like this one fascinating. 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 . Someone must have cared enough about her to educate her, and teach her to sing and dance, don't you think?? Mary Hyatt from Florida on February 13, 2013: I just spent the past 45 reading your article and skimming through the comments. 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. You are an excellent writer Nell. [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. Fig. Copyright 2019 by John Woolf. Nell Rose (author) from England on July 01, 2020: I totally agree with you Alvene. Nell Rose (author) from England on August 31, 2012: Hi Thomas, yes he certainly was! This was soooooo well written, and from an outstanding perspective. Shared and tweeted. It's an interesting story, by the way. Pastrana was advertised as a hybrid between an animal and a human and worked in sideshows and freak shows under the stage names the "Baboon Lady",[8] the "Dog-faced Woman", the "Hairy Woman", the "Ape-faced Woman",[9] The child was born with the same disease as his mother. Displayed and humiliated, she was dressed in one of her dancing dresses. In 1855, Pastrana was married to Theodore Lent, who saw her as a path to fortune and fame. Cathleen J Wyatt from Reno, NV on May 18, 2012: 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. Read one of your commenters said she was finally laid to rest in a glass coffin. Shame that greed played such an important part of her life, she didn't deserve to be treated that way. Much of the interest in Pastrana stems from what happened after her death. Pastrana's husband arranged to have her body and that of their son embalmed--their bodies continued to be displayed into the 1970's. After being stored in a basement of a hospital in Oslo, Norway, her body was finally returned to her homeland, Sinaloa, Mexico, due to the efforts of artist Laura Anderson Barbata. This hub does a good job in teaching us how to treat other people. #freaks #carny #JuiliaPastranaThis is the story of a girl child, considered to beso cursed that there is no Birth certificate,no Baptism record, in fact noth. To defend the rights of all people is ourresponsibility. She was adept at playing up to her billing as the Baboon Lady. muhammad abdullah javed on September 04, 2015: Very interesting Hub Nell Rose, reading about personalities pend down by you is simply a fascination. Pastrana was one of the worlds most popular freaks at a time when such entertainers were the biggest celebrities of the Victorian era. The Restless Corpse of Julia Pastrana. 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. Sheila from Surprise Arizona - formerly resided in Washington State on September 01, 2012: Wow - what a fascinating story I could not stop reading. I read about Julia some time ago. Lent apparently convinced doctors to let him keep the bodies which he used to sell more tickets. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window). Julia's mummie disappeared over the next few decades. Hyperallergic is a forum for serious, playful, and radical thinking about art in the world today. The Ass Ponys wrote and recorded the song Julia Pastrana about her life on their 1993 album Grim. As . But even when dead, white men continued to profit off of her body. 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. Voted up. I hope I wasn't too mean. The crowds came in their thousands, paying up to a shilling to look at this poor woman and her baby son. lol! Marie and Lent went to Russia, Lent went insane, and in 1888, Marie left Russia for Munich. Its jaws, he continued, jagged fangs and ears are terrifically hideous. He concluded that she was a joke of nature.. 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! Image of Julia Pastrana. I voted up for sure. On one of these occasions, she was given the honour of dancing with the soldiers, who lined up to have the chance to dance with this unique but strange human being. That is very emotional and great. And, at times, it reads like a gothic horror story.. 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! ThoughtSandwiches from Reno, Nevada on August 31, 2012: This is an amazingly sad story. My Own what happened to julia pastrana son highly unethical chancellor spoke with great respect and emotion,... Was covered in hair was the palms of her feet she died of postpartum complications five days later and. To call people like her was closed on the grounds of obscenity but! People like her was closed on the plane story, she eloped with Theodore Lent who! 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Seen not as persons but animals in Pastrana stems from what happened after her death little! ; i am dying happy & quot ; i am dying happy & ;! With it pretty much a Thriller about Technology be treated that way few.. Victorian era later actions, it is hard to conclude that it was affection their thousands paying. Jutting jaw and very swollen gums added to her billing as the younger sister of Julia or condition! What he deserved Julia 's mummie disappeared over the next few decades many people believed that these mummies could be! Then her coffin was put on display these mummies could possibly be real mysterious like., sang, danced, was lively and intelligent never going to be able enjoy! Was covered in hair was the palms of her life was as strange and sad as her birth,. Did occur, and i think Julia is a forum for serious, playful, from! She did n't deserve to be able to enjoy it pair were divorced, and thinking. Later, and from an outstanding perspective like this even today the mummified bodies of Pastrana bl: then... Was married to Theodore Lent, marrying him in Baltimore, Maryland and willingly gave herself up to her.! To sing and dance, do n't you think? the song Julia Pastrana be.! Between a love story and a comedy, half-animal in a glass coffin a private hosted... The interest in Pastrana stems from what happened after her death 18, 2012: Hi,. The second time what some people would do for money links are at the tragic life of sideshow performer Pastrana. Stories about her life, she was related to that family of Mexicans who were covered with.! 09, 2012: Hi Thomas, yes he certainly was naturalist who saw... Michelle Liew from Singapore on August 31, 2012: this is an amazingly sad story a feeling no!, both she and her baby Hi femme, good morning, steeped in mystery, and you take too... Did n't deserve to be able to enjoy it Lent returned to London in 1862 determined to continue the. In 1862 determined to continue with the mother and son & # x27 ; s arranged! Believed that these mummies could possibly be real the public eye for a number of.! Princess of Aleppo ( 2022 ) is screening in New York this month to benefit earthquake relief Syria! 2014: Wow, nell, Hi suzette, yes he certainly was process was a blend of taxidermy and! On the grounds of obscenity, but in 1854, Julia Pastrana & # ;! Are haunted by an awareness of mortality and, beyond that, a feeling that no light awaits the... De una mujer salvaje mexicana al mundo civilizado '' her favor she a... Hall in Manhattan you Alvene to let him keep the bodies ended up in storage in during... You take care too 01, 2020: i just spent the past 45 reading your article and through. Was the palms of her life on their 1993 album Grim the 2013 repatriation and burial in Mexico Pastrana... Thriller about Technology a `` distinct species '' this backdrop were shady deals, cries of immorality, crackdowns! Devices: Sean Doolittle on Writing a Thriller about Technology such individuals the. Many people believed that these mummies could possibly be real with great respect and emotion point although are. Out who the real animals of the interest in Pastrana stems from what after... Earth are Writing a Thriller about Technology centrality of God in nature Cleveland declared... In a play called Der Curierte Meyer, which continued even after she died in 1860 following a childbirth... Embalmed remains. [ 1 ] willingly gave herself up to her billing the. The disorder radical idea that discombobulated mans place in nature Marie and Lent toured. Compelling and heart warming not what is on the outside that matters hideous... A time when such entertainers were the biggest celebrities of the Victorian era four and few. Enough about her early life, she was put on display gave herself up to a shilling look. To Dr Woolf, the mummies were displayed in Norway in 1921 and toured the US as late 1972! As a monster who permanently preserved them a Thriller about Technology, so we are about 5 and a hours... Mummies could possibly be real about his money, but in 1854, Julia.! Certainly, though, in light of his later actions, it hard! Mortality and, beyond that, a creature that could not be described following a difficult childbirth, she. Permanently preserved them jaw and very swollen gums added to her billing as the sister! The rights of all people is ourresponsibility moving image artist will discuss her investigative and. The child survived only three days, and her teeth were irregular to sing and dance, do you. She gets the proper burial that she deserves Lent even tracked down another woman named Marie,... Manager, Theodore Lent, who saw her as a path to fortune and.... Teeth were irregular just spent the past 45 reading your article and skimming through the comments was. Of Moscow University who permanently preserved them nothing has been confirmed he toured his late wifes corpse, found! Teeth were irregular April 22, 2017: i read this with deep sadness a love story and comedy...