49 Inspiring Vintage Photos of Extraordinary Women

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The Glamorous Dancer, Cléo De Mérode (1896)

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The beautiful French dancer Cléopâtre-Diane de Mérode has mastered the art of staring directly at the camera, giving us this intense and powerful look. Born in Paris and the daughter of a Viennese Baroness, Cléo studied dance at the Paris Opera ballet school and made her professional debut when she was only eleven. A world-renowned dancer of the Belle Époque, Cléo became more famous for her beauty and glamor than she did for ballet, with her image appearing in many items such as postcards and playing cards.

Similar to how we’ve hoped to achieve Jennifer Aniston’s iconic hairstyles, Cléo had the women of her era waiting to copy the latest hairstyle she chose to wear. Many French and Italian artists, painters, and photographers, counting Félix Nadar, Giovanni Boldini, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, have taken her picture and made her portrait. Her magnificence was such that the celebrated sculptor Alexandre Falguière even shaped The Dancer in her likeness. Despite having many admirers, including King Léopold II of Belgium, Cléo never married nor had children.