Irene Sharaff on the set of Cleopatra

The photograph shows the Armenian-American costume designer Irene Sharaff with Elizabeth Taylor during the filming of Cleopatra, 1963. Sharaff is adjusting the queen’s lavish costume.

Taylor wears a gold-coloured gown and a tall, ornate gold headdress. Sharaff, in dark clothes, is on the left; two more people can be seen behind.

The costume created by Irene Sharaff became an inseparable part of the character, and the photograph bears witness to an Armenian artist’s contribution to world cinema.