Eastern Europe and Russia (1858-1860)
A recent article by Izabela Kopania allows us to follow Pastrana's travels in eastern Europe and Russia. This page of the exhibit summarizes Kopania's research as presented in the article "In the Footsteps of Julia Pastrana: Cultural Responses to an Ape-woman's Stay in Warsaw in 1858 and Reaction of Polish Press to Her Extraordinary Body." It also supplements Kopania's research with information from two Russian websites, newspapers in English, and personal correspondence from a Ukrainian journalist.
Kopania claims that Pastrana moved to Russia for three months after her sojourn in Vienna. Between June and August of 1858, Pastrana performed in St. Petersburg, Moscow (at the Hermitage Garden), and Nizhny Novgorod (42). In September, she traveled to Gdánsk and Warsaw (Poland) where "she spent nearly four weeks . . . staying in the newly opened, luxurious Hotel Rzymski, and gave performances in the Ślęzak Circus" (42). By October Pastrana and the Ślęzak Circus traveled to Lublin (Poland) and Kiev (Ukraine, January 1859). Kopania also reports that Pastrana may have performed in Bila Tserkva in the Ukraine. One newspaper reports performances by Pastrana in Riga (Latvia) during the month of May, and in November she is reported to have performed in Kazan (Russia).
We are much indebted to Kopania's research about Pastrana's performances in Warsaw, Poland in 1858. From her work, we learn that Pastrana was affiliated with a restauranteur named Laszkiewicz, who owned a restaurant on Miodowa Street and that Ślęzak Circus was especially known for its equestrian performances. Another fascinating detail we learn from Kopania is that one of the marketing tools used to alert the public about her upcoming performances was a paper doll, "the paper Pastrana," which was sent up in a hot air balloon three times. Based on her knowledge of similar shows at the time, Kopania also suggests that "Warsaw patisseries were even rumored to be offering Julia-shaped confectionary and putting images of her into boxes of chocolates" (48).
Lastly, Kopania's article contains images of great interest to scholars:
- The title page from a Polish "biography" of Pastrana (50).
- An excerpt of the musical notation of a polka by Jana Bloch that Pastrana performed (52).
- A lithograph of Lent and Pastrana by an unknown artist (53).
- A reproduction of a Russian article comparing Pastrana with another bearded woman, Avdotia Fedorova (59).
In addition, the Russian Wikipedia page shares information I have yet to verify. Using Google Translate, we learn these interesting details: "Fedor Tyutchev wrote to his wife that Count Kushelev , having paid 200 rubles, brought Julia to his estate in Polyustrovo, where she was forced in the evening to walk arm in arm with gentlemen from high society.[8] Another celebrity brought by Kushelev was the writer Alexandre Dumas, with whom Julia befriended. Together they made a voyage across Russia, reaching Taganrog, after which Dumas went to the Caucasus, and Pastrana to Kharkov, where the Russian emperor himself dropped in to see her performance." (Note that the story about Dumas and Pastrana traveling together might be a misunderstanding).
An article in the Paranormal News suggests additional sources that may give insight into Pastrana's experiences in Russia. Gennady Chernenko claims that a Russian actor, Vasily Dalmatov, recorded his memories of seeing Pastrana perform in Moscow. Chernenko also claims that a booklet was published about Pastrana: "Surprised Moscow in talk and anecdotes about the famous Miss Julia Pastrana." Chernenko references a sympathetic article about Pastrana in a St. Petersburg newspaper, the Northern Bee.
Lastly, Ukrainian journalist Artem Zaiets claims that Pastrana did perform in "Poltava, Voronezh, Tallinn" but that she did not perform in Kazan or Bila Tserkva--and that verification is still needed about possible performances in Nizhny Novgorod (personal correspondence, 1/15/2022). These discrepancies suggest the need for further research about the last few years of Pastrana's life.