Rudolph Valentino Beautebox tin by Henry Clive

Rudolph Valentino – the smouldering icon of silent cinema – stole hearts in The Sheik (1921), and this Beautebox biscuit tin captured his magnetic charm in full colour. Illustrated by Melbourne-born artist Henry Clive, the tin was a giveaway for moviegoers, but it’s now a rare tribute to one of the first Australians to break into Hollywood.

Clive’s story is pure showbiz: magician, silent film actor, set designer for Charlie Chaplin, and eventually Hollywood’s go-to ‘cover girl artist’ of the 1920s, painting the era’s brightest stars. At 69, he married his fifth wife – Acquanetta, a fiery B-movie queen dubbed 'The Venezuelan Volcano'. Clearly, Clive knew how to keep the drama going off-screen too.