Queens of Drag

It's no secret that I'm a fan of RuPaul's Drag race ever since it graced my television...however many seasons ago. The current season, for those who don't religiously watch, is their second All-Star Season, which means there's some quality queens competing to snatch that crown. The last episode may as well have said 'To Heather, Love, Ru' because the queens were all assigned to be 'queens from herstory', with the legend, Detox, impersonating Marie Antoinette and Southern belle extraordinaire, Ginger Minj, getting assigned with Catherine the Great.

I had to collect myself after that announcement.

Both queens turned it out. Minj's Catherine gown was surprisingly accurate - I love how she included the order star.

Detox went for what judge, Jeremy Scott termed, 'Neontoinette' which was kitschy fun (just like Marie Antoinette in pop culture, so why not?). I also appreciated the fact that she powdered her whole upper half in preparation and had a nearly perfect diamond necklace affair around her neck.

Ironically, both queens performed to songs concerning the great myths that are attached to them: Marie Antoinette saying 'Let them eat cake' and Catherine the Great's erm...great love for horses. But it's all in good fun, and that's exactly what this episode was FUN. 

You can watch the latest episode on Logo.

Immortal Companion: Catherine the Great

Nothing is quite so sad as the loss of a pet.  Just ask the empress of Russia. 

Catherine II, didn't earn the name Catherine the Great by sitting on her tush and letting others rule for her.  She took charge of her large country and made sure her court rivaled those of the bedazzled European countries.   That takes a lot of work!  On her downtime you would see the empress with her dogs.  While many monarchs of the time favored the ever-popular pug, Catherine has a thing for Italian Greyhounds.  She also had a thing for unique dog names; Sir Tom Anderson and Duchess Anderson were some of her other Italian Greyhounds.

Amongst the many different dogs Catherine had as pets, the favorite was Zemira.  This little greyhound was named after the heroine from a Beauty and the Beast opera, Zemira and Azor.  Zemira slept in her mistress' room in a pink silk-lined cradle and joined her for her daily walks.  When Catherine had the artist, Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky paint her in 1794 she chose him to portray her doing something she enjoyed most, walking in the park with Zemira.  Sadly, "the beautiful Zemira" had been dead for almost ten years when the portrait had been painted, yet art historians believe the portrait is a posthumous dog portrait rather than one of Catherine's dog at the time.  Other sculptures and porcelains of Zemira exist too, proving just how beloved the dog was to the Russian monarch.

When Zemira died Catherine was inconsolable.  She shut herself in her room for days.  Zemira was buried in Catherine's pet cemetery under the largest tomb, etched into the stone was, "Beloved dog of the Great Queen."

Quotables

First health, then wealth, then pleasure, and do not owe anything to anybody.

-Catherine II, Empress of Russia

Catherine looks Great

Now you just don't get a "the great" after your name for doing nothing. Catherine II of Russia's story is quite a...well, great, one when you think about it. So when you see that ever so slight look of smug on her lips, you should smile back and give her a wink.

Let's review a small history of Catherine first. She was actually born with the name of Sophia but changed it when she converted to the Eastern Orthodox religion. She was a minor German princess who (like Marie Antoinette) wholeheartedly embraced her new country's culture when she married the heir to the throne. Her husband was a little wacky and not the nicest person to her. He lasted about six months on the throne before he was assassinated. Since Catherine took the throne after him (as more than just a regent) there were a few fingers pointing at her involvement in the assassination. But it was all for the best since Catherine turned out to be an AWESOME sovereign. She concentrated on catching Russia (or at least the court) up with the rest of Europe and before long the Russian Court became the "It Court" to travel to.

However, Catherine's ascension to the throne was a bit questionable, especially to those outside Russia, and she had to be very careful about her public appearance. The empress was very conscientious about how she was depicted in portraits. She walked a tight line for a while since not only was she a female ruler but a possible tyrannical one. Hmm, was there another woman in history with a similar background who was beloved by the people? How about the goddess of wisdom and sometimes war, Minerva. There are multiple depictions of Catherine as this strong Roman goddess. In an equestrian depiction Catherine is en militaire brandishing a sword to show that despite being a woman she could hold her own just like the former emperor, Peter the Great whom Catherine aspired to. Her state portraits hold to the same standards as those to the European monarchies. She is presented as a fashionable, Enlightened and modern leader with panniers that could take out two courtiers at once. The portraits sent out a powerful message. Catherine wasn't a consort or a regent, or even a queen. She was the empress of Russia, and that was not a birthright, it was a privilege.