Editing Eva Perón (section)

==European tour==
[[File:Eva Duarte de Perón en España.jpg|thumb|upright|Perón arrives in [[Madrid]].]]

In 1947, Eva embarked on a much-publicized "Rainbow Tour" of Europe, meeting with numerous dignitaries and heads of state, such as [[Francisco Franco]] and [[Pope Pius XII]]. The tour had its genesis in an invitation that the Spanish leader had extended to Juan Perón; Eva decided that if Juan Perón would not accept Franco's invitation for a state visit to Spain, then she would.<ref name="Fraser 88-9">{{harvp|Fraser|Navarro|1996|pp=88–89}}.</ref> Argentina had only recently emerged from its "wartime quarantine", thus taking its place in the United Nations and improving relations with the United States. Therefore, a visit to [[Francisco Franco|Franco]], with [[António de Oliveira Salazar|António Salazar of Portugal]], the last remaining Western European authoritarian leaders in power, was diplomatically frowned upon internationally. Advisers then decided that Eva should also visit other European countries in addition to Spain. This would make it seem that Eva's sympathies were not specifically with [[Francoist Spain]]. The tour was billed not as a political tour but as a non-political "goodwill" tour.

Eva was well received in Spain, where she visited the tombs of Spanish monarchs [[Ferdinand II of Aragon|Ferdinand]] and [[Isabella I of Castile|Isabella]] in the [[Capilla Real de Granada]]. [[Francoist Spain]] had not recovered from the [[Spanish Civil War]] (the [[autarky|autarkic]] economy and the UN embargo meant that the country could not feed its people). During her visit to Spain, Eva handed out 100-[[Spanish peseta|peseta]] notes to many poor children she met on her journey. She also received from Franco the highest award given by the Spanish government, the [[Order of Isabella the Catholic]].
[[File:Eva Perón to meet Pope Pius XII (1947).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Perón escorted by [[Alessandro Ruspoli, 7th Prince of Cerveteri|Alessandro Ruspoli]] for her meeting with [[Pope Pius XII]]]]

Eva then visited Rome, where the reception was not as warm as it had been in Spain. Though [[Pope Pius XII]] did not give her a [[Papal Orders of Chivalry|Papal decoration]], she was allowed the time usually allotted to queens and was given a [[rosary]]. <!--And protests were held outside her hotel room. Some demonstrators claimed that Peronism was just another form of fascism.--><ref name="Fraser 89">{{harvp|Fraser|Navarro|1996|p=89}}.</ref>

Her next stop was France where she met with [[Charles de Gaulle]]. She promised France two shipments of wheat.

While in France, Eva received word that [[George VI of the United Kingdom|George VI]] would not receive her when she planned to visit Britain, regardless of what his Foreign Office might advise,<ref>{{cite book |first = Alan |last = Michie |title = God Save The Queen |page = ___ |year = 1952 }}</ref> and that her visit would not be viewed as a state visit. Eva regarded the [[British royal family|royal family]]'s refusal to meet her as a snub, and canceled the trip to the UK. Eva gave "exhaustion" as the official reason for not going on to Britain.

Eva also visited Switzerland during her European tour, a visit that has been viewed as the worst part of the trip. According to the book ''Evita: A Biography'' by John Barnes, while she travelled down a street with many people crowding her car, someone threw two stones and smashed the windshield. She threw her hands up in shock, but was not injured. Later, as she sat with the Foreign Minister, protesters threw tomatoes at her. The tomatoes hit the Foreign Minister and splattered on Eva's dress. After these two events, Eva decided to conclude the two-month tour and returned to Argentina.

Members of the Peronist opposition speculated that the true purpose of the European tour was to deposit funds in a [[Swiss bank account]], although the tour was not an unusual practice and "there are many more convenient and less conspicuous ways of depositing money in Swiss accounts than meeting the Swiss Foreign Minister and being shown around a watch factory".<ref name="Fraser 98-9">{{harvp|Fraser|Navarro|1996|pp=98–99}}.</ref> It was unlikely that a Swiss bank account existed.<ref name="Fraser 208">{{harvp|Fraser|Navarro|1996|p=208}}.</ref>
[[File:Buenos Aires - Eva Perón de gala en fundación del Teatro Colón.jpeg|thumb|left|upright|Perón wearing a dress designed by [[Christian Dior]]]]

During her tour to Europe, Eva Perón was featured in a cover story for ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine. The cover's caption – "Eva Perón: Between two worlds, an Argentine rainbow" – was a reference to the name given to Eva's European tour, The Rainbow Tour. This was the only time in the periodical's history that a South American first lady appeared alone on its cover. (In 1951, Eva appeared again, but with Juan Perón.) The 1947 cover story was also the first publication to mention that Eva had been born out of wedlock. In retaliation, the periodical was banned from Argentina for several months.<ref name="Fraser 91">{{harvp|Fraser|Navarro|1996|p=91}}.</ref>

After returning to Argentina from Europe, Evita never again appeared in public with the complicated [[haircut|hairdos]] of her movie-star days. The bright blonde color she dyed her hair became more subdued in tone, and she began to style her hair pulled back into a heavy braided [[chignon (hairstyle)|chignon]]. Her extravagant clothing became more refined after the tour, no longer wearing the elaborate hats and form-fitting dresses of Argentine designers. Instead, Eva adopted simpler and more fashionable Parisian [[Haute couture|couture]], and became particularly attached to the fashions of [[Christian Dior S.A.|Christian Dior]] and the jewelry of [[Cartier SA|Cartier]]. In an attempt to cultivate a more serious political persona, Eva began to appear in public wearing conservative though stylish ''tailleurs'' (a business-like combination of skirts and jackets), which also were made by Dior and other Paris couture houses.<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://mentalfloss.com/article/78738/13-things-you-might-not-know-about-eva-peron |title = 13 Things You Might Not Know About Eva Perón |date = 7 May 2017 |website = mentalfloss.com |language = en |access-date = 6 March 2019 }}</ref>