LETTER 6 – CINDERELLA
The timeless tale of Cinderella has danced through centuries and cultures, its earliest traces found in ancient Greece and Egypt, where the story of Rhodopis—a maiden whose lost sandal won a prince’s heart—first appeared. In 9th-century China, the legend re-emerged as Ye Xian, whose wishes were granted by magical fishbones. Europe later gave us the versions we know best: Giambattista Basile’s La Gatta Cenerentola (1634), Charles Perrault’s elegant Cendrillon (1697) with its glass slipper and fairy godmother, and the Brothers Grimm’s gentler Aschenputtel (1812). Across every retelling, Cinderella endures as a story of grace, kindness, and transformation rewarded.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
CHLOE
The story of Chloé is one of art, scandal, and enduring affection. Painted in 1875 by French artist Jules Lefebvre, the luminous portrait of a young nude woman caused a sensation when exhibited at Melbourne’s 1880 International Exhibition. Purchased by Dr. Thomas Fitzgerald and later loaned to the National Gallery of Victoria, it was swiftly withdrawn after protests from religious groups. In 1908, publican Henry Figsby Young bought Chloé and gave her a new home above the bar of his Young & Jackson Hotel. There she became a Melbourne icon—beloved by generations, especially soldiers who toasted her before departing for war.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
