Of all the top models of the 1950s Dovima is perhaps the most well-known. Her fabulously unique model name came from a combination of all of her names: Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba. She was scouted by the editor of Vogue on a street in New York.
One of her most famous fashion photographs is the ‘Dovima with the Elephants‘ shoot by Richard Avedon taken at a circus in Paris in 1955 (below). The black evening gown she wears in the photo was the very first gown designed for Christian Dior by young and fledgling designer Yves Saint Laurent.
As well as being the highest-paid model of the 50s Dovima also had a limited acting career and featured in Funny Face with Audrey Hepburn as well as TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Height: 5 feet 8 1/2 inches
Bust: 33″
Waist: 19″
Hips: 34″
Compare her measurements to the other 1950s models here.
All images used with kind permission by JeanPatchett.com