The Eye of the Beholder: Julia Pastrana's Long Journey Home

The Eye of the Beholder: Julia Pastrana's Long Journey Home
ISBN-10
0692762183
ISBN-13
9780692762189
Series
The Eye of the Beholder
Category
Art
Pages
200
Language
English
Published
2017
Publisher
Lucia|Marquand
Author
Laura Anderson

Description

Born in Sinaloa, Mexico, Julia Pastrana (1834-1860) was a gifted singer, musician and dancer who could converse in English, Spanish and French. She also suffered from one of the most extreme cases of hypertrichosis terminalis on record and severe gingival hyperplasia: her face and body were covered with thick hair and her jaw was disproportionately large. Pastrana toured North America and Europe billed as "The Ugliest Woman in the World." After her death, her body was exhibited throughout Europe and the US. Until her recent repatriation to Sinaloa, her body was kept at the University of Oslo, Norway. Pastrana's story raises issues around beauty, ownership, science and racism, human rights, colonialism, sexism and indigenous rights. Artist Laura Anderson Barbata has brought together scholars and experts from various fields to explore these and other topics as they relate to Pastrana's extraordinary story.

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