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Beverley Jackson: All you need to know about the American writer who wrote on Chinese culture

Beverley Jackson: All you need to know about the American writer who wrote on Chinese culture 2

Who is Beverly Jackson?

Beverley Jackson (1928-2020) was an American author who specialized in Chinese culture and fashion, as well as international travel, polo, and fashion. Her published works depict life in the 1920s and 1930s. She published a book called Dolls of Spain in 2017. Her articles as a freelance writer have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Vogue Paris, British Vogue, US Vogue, and Time. The answer is yes.

Shanghai Museum of Art and the Singapore Civilization Museum. She was a featured speaker at the 2006 Shanghai International Writers Conference. Jackson was a curator of Chinese textiles at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum for 20 years, and was a collector of Chinese imperial robes since 1975. Her pine needle baskets were displayed at Casa Gallery, and her collages were featured in three major exhibitions in Santa Barbara galleries. Jackson also contributed a weekly column to The Voice.

On November 20, 1928, Beverley Jackson was born in Los Angeles, California, to Dorothy and Philip Jacobson. She grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from Westlake School for Girls in 1946. She attended UCLA, USC, Otis Art Institute, and Kahn Art Institute.

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Career

The answer is yes. She won the Los Angeles Times’ California Photography Contest.

Beverley Jackson began collecting Chinese textiles in 1975 during a trip to Shanghai. Her collection of Qing textiles, particularly imperial robes, became internationally known[6] and was occasionally displayed in special museums such as the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena.

Beverley Jackson
Santa Barbara, California; journalist, Asian art collector and world-traveler Beverly Jackson, at her home

Beverley Jackson was also a prolific author, writing seven non-fiction works, starting with Ladder to the Clouds in 1999 and Shanghai Girl Gets All Dressed Up, and Kingfisher Blue: Treasures of Ancient China two years later. She followed these with other fascinating books, such as Splendid Slippers: A Thousand Years of An Erotic Tradition, about the ancient tradition of foot binding, and The Beautiful Lady Was a Palace Eunuch. The intricately crafted shoes, along with many examples of her Qing dynasty costumes, were displayed in the spacious living room of her condominium.

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Beverley’s final book, The Dolls of Spain, was published in 2017 and accompanied her newfound interest in a variety of art projects, including pine needle baskets, art works using leather book covers, and impressive jewelry incorporating seashells, belt buckles, and innumerable other eclectic ingredients.

Beverley came back with a vengeance after suffering from shingles three or four years ago. She threw a party for the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, where she donated 600 photographs depicting her glittering lifestyle for a socially-gridlocked exhibition. She was a regular spectator at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club. She also began writing regularly for The Voice.

She was especially pleased when she was photographed with Argentine Ralph Lauren Polo model Nacho Figueras, a close friend of Prince Harry. “He’s so cute,” she gushed.

Beverley Jackson celebrated her 80th birthday at the historic Val Verde estate with a 1920s-themed party. Beverley was part of an elite group that welcomed Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip to Santa Barbara in 1983, when she visited President Ronald Reagan at his ranch after the royal yacht Britannia was delayed by storms in San Diego.

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Beverly Jackson Published Works

  • Splendid Slippers – 1998 Ten Speed Press.[7] Winner of the Bookbuilders West 1998 Judge’s Choice Award.
  • Ladder to the Clouds: Intrigues and Traditions of Chinese Rank coauthored by Dr. David Hugus- 1999 Ten Speed Press.
  • Runner-up Winner of the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Awards 2000
  • Kingfisher Blue – 2001 Ten Speed Press
  • Shanghai Girl Gets All Dressed Up – 2005 Ten Speed Press
  • 1910 A Grand Tour of Asia coauthored by Hania Tallmadge – 2006 Ten Speed Press
  • The Beautiful Lady Was A Palace Eunuch – 2011 Create Space

About The Author