Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba (December 11, 1927 – May 3, 1990), later known as
Dorothy Horan, best known as
Dovima, was a
model during the 1950s.
Born in
New York City, Dovima was discovered by an editor at
Vogue on the sidewalk of New York, and had a photo shoot with
Irving Penn the following day. She worked closely with
Richard Avedon, whose photograph of her in a floor-length black evening gown with circus elephants—"Dovima with the Elephants"
—taken at the
Cirque d'hiver,
Paris, in August 1955, has become an icon. The dress was the first evening dress designed for
Christian Dior by his new assistant,
Yves Saint-Laurent.
, November 1946
A supermodel before the term became widely known, Dovima was reputed to be the highest-paid model of her time. She had a cameo role as aristocratic-looking but empty-headed fashion model with a
Jackson Heights whine Marion in
Funny Face (Paramount, 1957).
Dovima had a daughter named Alison, was born July 14, 1958 in Manhattan. The father is her second husband Alan Murray.
She died of
liver cancer on May 3, 1990 (aged 62). After her death, Richard Avedon said, "She was the last of the great elegant, aristocratic beauties... the most remarkable and unconventional beauty of her time."
Filmography
See also
