Cleopatra to Jane Austen: Perfumes of Powerful Women

Cleopatra to Jane Austen: Perfumes of Powerful Women

Why did Cleopatra soak the sails of her ship in jasmine? How did Queen Elizabeth smell? And why was perfume an essential tool of power for women across history?


Whilst it’s hard to research the history of something that leaves no physical trace, we actually know a great deal about how some of the most iconic women in history would have smelt.


Joining Kate to evoke these scents and what they stood for is award-winning fragrance journalist Suzy Nightingale.


Here are the perfumes listed in the episode:


Cleopatra: The Merchant of Venice Queen of the Night


Joan of Arc: Histoire de Parfums Encens Roi


Elizabeth I: Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady


Jane Austen: Commodity Book (Personal strength)


Cora Pearl: Robert Piguet Fracas


This episode is edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.


Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.


Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.


You can take part in our listener survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(400)

How Filthy Were the Victorians?

How Filthy Were the Victorians?

They say people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. The Victorians might have done well to live by that rule.For all of the dirt that the Victorians threw at other eras, suggesting that all those ...

30 Tammi 40min

The Most Notorious Sex Worker of 18th Century Dublin

The Most Notorious Sex Worker of 18th Century Dublin

Dublin in the 18th century was a wealthy colonial capitol, but only for a select few.Amongst this hugely divided and politically charged world was the infamous sex worker Peg Plunkett, who counted som...

27 Tammi 44min

How Filthy was the Renaissance?

How Filthy was the Renaissance?

The Renaissance, a period of transformation in art, learning, philosophy and science that brought us Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello (the artists, not the turtles). This era of ...

23 Tammi 41min

The Syphilis Explosion of the American Civil War

The Syphilis Explosion of the American Civil War

It's been estimated that between eight and twelve percent of soldiers contracted a venereal disease during the American Civil War. What on earth were they up to?Kathryn Olivarius is a Professor at Sta...

20 Tammi 39min

How Filthy Were Medieval People?

How Filthy Were Medieval People?

If there's one sure way to irritate an historian of the Medieval period, it's to ask why the people of the Middle Ages didn't wash.In this episode, we did just that with Dr Eleanor Janega. Kate and El...

16 Tammi 41min

Who Was the Victorian Thames Torso Murderer? With Lucy Worsley

Who Was the Victorian Thames Torso Murderer? With Lucy Worsley

For over a century, a series of gruesome murders have gone unsolved. Until now?The Thames Torso Killer terrified Victorian Londoners by dismembering their victims and scattering their body parts along...

13 Tammi 39min

How Filthy Were the Egyptians?

How Filthy Were the Egyptians?

Lead in eyes, scented animal fat melting over wigs, teen circumcision - the Ancient Egyptians went to great lengths for beauty and hygiene. So how clean were they, and how has the colonial perspective...

9 Tammi 44min

How to Survive as a Medieval Single Woman

How to Survive as a Medieval Single Woman

Being single in 2026 is a major disadvantage, so what was it like as a single woman in the Medieval period?!Joining Kate today is the always-fantastic Eleanor Janega, author and co-host of our sister ...

6 Tammi 41min

Suosittua kategoriassa Historia

olipa-kerran-otsikko
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
mayday-fi
huijarit
mystista
konginkangas
totuus-vai-salaliitto
rss-ikiuni
tsunami
rss-subjektiivinen-todistaja
rss-kirkon-ihmeellisimmat-tarinat
rouva-diktaattori
historiaa-suomeksi
rss-i-dont-like-mondays-2
rss-sattuu-sita-suomessakin
sotaa-ja-historiaa-podi
rss-iltanuotiolla
tiedetta-ja-sirkushuveja-vanhojen-aikojen-podcast
rss-kikka-forever
rss-kalmakabinetti