CLEOPATRA 一 With her inimitable beauty and love for black kohl, the legendary Ptolemy pharaoh of Ancient Egypt not only commanded an empire, but also the hearts of both Roman leaders, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Here, the late grand dame Elizabeth Taylor plays her in the 1963 epic.

BARBARELLA 一 Barbarella, the sci-fi film heroine created by French comic artist Jean-Claude Forest, would dress up in all her metallic glory to embark on the ultimate mission: To save the Earth. Here, Jane Fonda depicts her in the 1968 film.

MATA HARI 一 The beguiling, dancing courtesan of early 19th-Century Paris, Mata Hari — born Gertrud Margaret Zelle in the Netherlands — was a woman of dangerous liaisons. Convicted by the French governmnet as a German spy during World War I, her innocence is still contested today.

DITA VON TESSE 一 Modern-day beauty and burlesque siren, Dita Von Tesse, enchants with her provocative stripteases. She is seen here at Jean-Paul Gaultier's Autumn/Winter 2011 couture show, where she performed a catwalk strip-down.

ANNA MAY WONG 一 A third-generation Chinese-American film star from Los Angeles, Anna May Wong's seductress roles gave birth to the "Dragon Lady" stereotype. Seen here, in a publicity shot for 1934 film, "Limehouse Blues".

MARILYN MONROE 一 The paragon of Old Hollywood glamour, actress Norman Jeane Baker — aka Marilyn Monroe — became one of America's most enduring sex symbols. Posing for a portrait here, in 1953, her most scandalous affair was said to be with the late president John F. Kennedy.