B. Alexandra Szerlip

Art by Whiskey Radish by B. Alexandra Szerlip To understand how a frumpy, mustard-coloured, short-handled purse, which may or may not be leather, sold at auction in February for a whopping $32,000, it’s helpful to wander back to ancient Greece.

In 1932, she formed an independent counter-insurgency cavalry force, made up of several thousand former bandits, to hunt down anti-Japanese guerrilla bands. Through it all, she gained a reputation for entertaining numerous lovers, of both sexes, including many influential Japanese officials. In October, 1945, the “long sought-for beauty in male costume” was arrested by Chinese secret police, charged with aiding the enemy and trying to re-establish Manchu rule.

Censorship crested again in 1853, following the arrival of American Commodore Matthew Perry and his four ships into Tokyo Bay, bringing the same Western missionary values that had recently coerced traditionally bare-breasted Hawaiian females into shapeless muumuus.