Pearls For All: Jackie and Cleo - 0 views
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Rowena Watters on 17 May 11What do Cleopatra and Jackie have in common? First, female icons of power are always a subject of interest for historians, and Jackie and Cleopatra are no exception. Cleopatra: A Life is a new Pulitzer prize-winning history by Stacy Schiff. In addition to an obvious enjoyment of her subject, Schiff conducted her research with exhaustive thoroughness and her descriptions of the ancient queen's wealth in particular jump off of the page. "We know that she wore plenty of pearls, the diamonds of the day. She coiled long ropes of pearls around her neck and braided more into her hair". Wait… Pearls? The wardrobe of Elizabeth Taylor in the iconic film and the ancient Egyptian busts of queens both feature a decided lack of pearls. But according to what historical documentation is available, Cleopatra wore pearls! Another thing she and Jackie have in common.