Finding The Officially Recognized Photograph of Julia Bulette - Putting the Revisionist Ideas To Bed At Last!

 

1. Official Carte-de-Visite of Julia Bulette, Nevada Historical Society
2. Photograph of Alfred Doten, Nevada Historical Society 

Back in 2019, I covered the story of the Comstock's most famous courtesan, Julia Bulette in its entirety. From explaining and debunking fakelore surrounding her ever ellusive backstory, down to sharing the particulars surrounding her death and even her burial. As I explained in my blog, "The Comstock Courtesan, Part 1" and in the chapter (of the same name) in my book "More Stories of the Forgotten," no one knows exactly where Julia came from. This is a fact. 

Despite sharing all of this with the world, one thing seems to keep popping back up, the debate on what Julia Bulette looked like. This ongoing debate has gone on since at least the 1930s or 1940s, when the McBrides hung a photo in their "Bucket of Blood" Saloon, claiming to be the likeness of Julia Bulette and causing controversy.

FALSE PHOTO- NOT JULIA BULETTE
dated Circa 1880s

There's one problem. It's not Julia!  The photograph posted just above which I have titled "False Photo," was actually examined and dated by a professional, and it turned out that the woman in the photograph could not possibly be Julia, as it was determined to have been taken in the 1880s. 

According to Sheryln Hayez-Zorn, Curator of History at the Nevada Historical Society, the photo in question is not Julia Bulette. Given the fact the photo was dated to the 1880s, and Julia was murdered in 1867, this alone proves that specific photograph could not be our Julia. Anyone who knows the common dress and hairstyle of different time periods would know that, but still, it didn't stop the unknowledgable from making such claims.

Still, these debates have gone on for too long. So, today I am going to share with you what I have been trying to tell everyone for a very, very long time.  The only photograph of Julia Bulette known in existence is the one taken in the Sutterley Brothers studio in Virginia City.

Ms. Hayes-Zorn confirmed that the well-known carte-de-visite of a woman standing in the Sutterley Brothers portrait studion next to a fireman's hat in the dark dress is the ONLY officially recognized photograph of Julia Bulette. 

To add more credence to this, I have taken it upon myself to line up two photographs side by side for comparison at the top of this blog post. 

"The Alf Doten photo of him wearing the fireman's helmet and with the same background only adds to the authentication of her photograph. There are other's of the early Comstock time period that can be seen with the same background."-- Sheryln Hayes-Zorn, Curator of History, Nevada Historical Society

The first photograph on the left is of Julia Bulette, and was taken on the Fourth of July, 1866. The photograh to the right, is of Alfred Doten, taken on the Fourth of July, 1867. As you can see, they are both standing in the same studio with the same backdrop. The photos, taken one year apart show that they were taken around the same time period in history. 

The day that the photograph of Julia was taken was said to have been a very special day for her, as reports mention that she was chosen to be a honorary member of the Fire Company #1 on that date, and that was the day she was able to ride in the parade with them for the Fourth of July Festivities. 

The newspaper spoke of the entire city taking part in the festivities, including many different groups appearing in the parade. One mention was that "Virginia Engine Company No. 1 had a magnificent six-horse team attached to their engine, beautifully decorated with flowers and evergreens."

Think about that for a moment. Why wouldn't Julia have wanted a photograph to remember this special day? Especially given the fact that she wasn't rich and famous as many people have made her out to be over the years. This was her day to shine, and for once she wasn't just a prostitute, she was somebody even if just for the day, and for that day she was treated like a "somebody." I am sure that was a good memory for her. 

If you examine the photograph, you can see she is standing next to a fireman's hat, wearing a fireman belt buckle with the number 1 on it.  Her dress is plain, as was the attire of the period for any woman at that time. The belt buckle correlates her connection to Fire Company #1, whom cared for her so much that when she died, they were the ones who held her body until the day of her funeral, and they buried her in a plot that was reserved for the firemen in the original old Pioneers Cemetery, also known as Flowery Hill. 

That's another thing people don't seem to understand, in regards to why her grave is so far out there and why its location is virtually unknown today. So why bury her way out on Flowery Hill and not in the other cemeteries? Well, when Julia died, those other cemeteries didn’t exist yet. You have to remember, this was 1867. The only cemetery there at the time was the old Pioneer Cemetery or Boot Hill Cemetery which was known as “Flowery Hill.”

 According to “Mercantile Guide and Directory for Virginia City, Gold Hill, Silver City and American City,” compiled by Charles Collins, 1864-65, it states: “This city can now boast of a public burial place for the dead, the ground formerly known as the Flowery Hill Cemetery has been purchased for its owner, J.B. Wallard, by the city, at a cost of twenty-five hundred dollars. The City Council are taking the necessary steps to have the grounds, laid off in a manner which, when completed, will reflect credit on the good taste of its projectors. The tract contains 27 acres. A portion of the grounds has been reserved and laid off for the exclusive use of the firemen of this city.”— 

 Another publication “A History of the Virginia Exempt Firemen’s Association Cemetery” states “Although a firemen’s section had been laid out in the Pioneer Cemetery on Flowery Hill years before, in May of 1868 the Virginia Fire Department purchased a section of the Silver Terrace Cemetery for its use from undertakers Charles M. Brown and Josh W. Wilson for $50.00."

So, you can see the fire department loved her, because they buried her in their section of the cemetery that was reserved for them. The only reason they no longer buried their own in that same area was because two years later they purchased a different section of the newer Silver Terrace Cemetery, and the old pioneer cemetery became defunct and forgotten over time. 

Back to the subject...

Going back to the subject at hand, there are some who still question whether this carte-de-visite really was Julia, because she was dressed rather plainly for a prostitute.  

In reality, what do you think a prostitute looked like in 1867?

In my research, many times, I have found that prostitutes outside of their boudoir would dress the same as any other woman of the time period. It seems that the world has a romanticized view of what they think a prostitute looked or dressed like based on television and movies. 

I recall a historian telling me once many years ago that the only difference between a lady and a prostitute at that time period was that a lady didn't look up and stare a man in his face, as it was improper; However, a prostitute didn't have the fear of improprieties and would have no problem looking a man in the face as she spoke to him.  The point the historian was making was that during normal daily activities outside of the brothel, a prostitute would have dressed in the normal fashion of the day.

When I asked Ms. Hayes-Zorn on her opinion about this subject, she confirmed this with me by saying:

 "Julia and any other woman or prostitute that went outside of their bedroom or home, would dress according to Victorian standards on the types of activities or time of day. In her photograph, she is wearing good quality clothing but it is not competing with the fireman's belt or helmet.  You are correct, I believe people have a romanticized view of how a prostitute would dress or behave due to movies and television.  Women wouldn't stare at men or talk with strangers (men) without a formal introduction by friends and family, or be alone with a man without a chaperone."-- 

So, today we have discussed the facts that there is only one officially recognized photograph of Julia Bulette in existence, and the fact that just because she looked "plain Jane" in her photograph didn't mean it wasn't Julia, just because she didn't "look" like what some people think a prostitute should have looked like back then.

Writer, Susan James once said on the subject of Julia, "So little was known about her life that her attributes could be greatly enhanced without fear of contradiction…writers speculated about Julia’s ancestry. The fact that she might have lived in Louisiana was all they needed to transform the fair-skinned Englishwoman into an enticing New Orleans Creole. Exotic beauty was not among Julia’s assets, but it didn’t hurt to stretch the truth a bit.” --"Queen of Tarts"

In reality, we will never know for certain just where Julia Bulette came from. What we do know is what she looked like. No, she wasn't a dark skinned or mixed raced prostitute. She wasn't even remarkably beautiful by societal standards of the time, but she was cared for by those who chose to remember her and honor her after her death. 

In life, I do not believe she lived well, nor do I believe she was treated like a lady by any means, but I do believe that everyone deserves their stories to be told and we all owe the dead the truth. Julia lived a hard life in a time where life was hard enough as it was. She didn't make life any easier on herself chosing the oldest profession in the book, but that was the choice she made. Love her or hate her, she did however leave her mark in Virginia City, one that cannot easily be erased.

Rest in Peace, Julia Bulette.

(Copyright 2023 - J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com) 

A big thanks to Sheryln Hayes-Zorn and the Nevada Historical Society for helping me with this additional project!

Some of my Sources:

"More Stories of the Forgotten," J'aime Rubio, 2019

Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]), 05 July 1866

Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, January 22, 1867

A History of the Virginia Exempt Firemen’s Association Cemetery, Steve Frady, 1980-1987

Mercantile Guide and Directory for Virginia City, Gold Hill, Silver City and American City, Charles Collins, 1864-65 

“Queen of Tarts,” by Susan James in Nevada Magazine, Sept/Oct 1984