Katharina Buczek
Julia’s Tragic Passing
Julia ended up spending four years married to and managed by her husband, Lewis, before she found out she was pregnant in August 1859. Even while pregnant, though, she still toured throughout the world– and even ended up giving birth to her child while exhibiting in Moscow, Russia.
Julia’s baby was reportedly a difficult birth and also inherited the same atypical appearance. Tragically, though, the little boy passed away less than forty hours after entering the world.
Then, following the birth, Julia spiked a very high fever and tragically died just five days later at just twenty-six years old.
But still, even in death, Julia was not put to rest. Instead, Lewis reportedly sold tickets to people who wanted to see Julia on her deathbed before moving onto even more sinister means of profit.
Mummified & Displayed
Lewis decided to profit off of his late wife one last time and met with an anatomy professor named Ivan Sokolov– who was experimenting with a blend of mummification and taxidermy at the time.
Then, Lewis ultimately opted to sell both Julia’s and their infant’s remains to Sokolov so the professor could embalm them and continue displaying them at the Moscow Imperial University’s Anatomical Institute.
In turn, Sokolov worked to embalm both Julia and her baby boy for about six months before they were toured and exhibited for decades.
Julia Was Finally Laid To Rest
It was not until the 1970s that the public began to look down upon exhibiting the deceased and embalmed bodies of Julia and her child. Amidst the growing outrage, though, Julia and her child were not even afforded a proper resting place.
