Costumes

Demeter

Related post: Last-minute Demeter (sheets, some leaves, and grocery store produce) Demeter is the Greek goddess of agriculture and the bountiful earth. It is she who makes the crops ...

Diana Ross

This is vintage Diana Ross, you understand: Diana Ross as a Supreme. Not only were The Supremes the top American singing group of the 60s, but they were also style leaders. Glamour was always ...

Dorothy Dandridge

Dorothy Dandridge (1922-1965) was a dynamo of talent and beauty who became the first African American nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. Her starring role in Carmen Jones launched her into the ...

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204) was the greatest lady of medieval Europe. In her own right she was Duchess of Aquitaine and Countess of Poitiers, ruling over a large chunk of what is now France. By ...

Elizabeth I

When Elizabeth I (1535-1603) became queen, people didn't expect much. "Get yourself married as soon as possible," she was told, "and lean on your husband for support." Elizabeth had other ideas. ...

Emma Goldman

"If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution." Did Emma Goldman (1869-1940) really say that? In a word, no. The sentiment was certainly hers, and in her memoirs she told of being ...

Empress Theodora

How great was Empress Theodora (500-548)? This great: she outlawed wife-killing, banned sex trafficking and sex slavery, expanded women's property rights, gave mothers the right to raise their own ...

Enheduanna

Enheduanna (ca. 2300 BCE) has been called the Shakespeare of Sumerian literature. It might be more accurate to call Shakespeare the Enheduanna of English literature. Enheduanna is the earliest ...

Esther

The Book of Esther is a subversive feminist tract masquerading as a Bible story. Okay, that probably isn't true, but by golly, it feels true. Esther, the eponymous heroine, is a courageous young ...

Freyja

Poor Freyja! More than any other goddess, she's been subjected to the strippers-with-swords treatment in contemporary art. But those deformed creatures with giant implants and chainmail bikinis ...

Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) is quite possibly the most celebrated female artist in history. The elements of her personal style have become iconic: long skirt, Mexican blouse, rebozo, flowers on her ...

Fu Hao

Before Mulan, there was Fu Hao (ca. 1200 BCE). This Shang Dynasty queen was a remarkable figure: not only was she King Wu Ding's wife and the mother of his children, but she was also his chief ...