Vintage Beauty Queen Dovima

She was a supermodel before "supermodel" existed. The 1950s model was discovered on the streets of New York and worked closely with fashion photographer Richard Avedon. Dovima was an overnight success and was the highest paid model of her time.


The famous "Dovima with Elephants" Paris 1955 shot by Richard Avedon




Dovima's story is actually quite sad. I'm surprised there hasn't been a movie made about her life. She was born Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba (the name Dovima comes from the first two letters of each of her names DO-VI-MA). I always assumed Dovima had this very glamourous life, but in reality, her life was the opposite of the beauty and luxury she portrayed on film. She was involved in abusive relationships, lost custody of her one and only child after being accused of kidnapping her, and spent the rest of her years after retiring from modeling selling cosmetics and working as a hostess at various restaurants in Florida. Dovima appeared in a few films (most noted in "Funny Face" with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire)

Richard Avedon said of Dovima after her death, "She was the last of the great elegant, aristocratic beauties... the most remarkable and unconventional beauty of her time."