The story of Dovima's first top model - from worldwide fame to a pizzeria waitress
Fashion industry researchers are constantly arguing who can be considered the first top model in history. At the same time, the majority is inclined to believe that this title should rightfully belong to Dovima. The rise of the career of this model was rapid. She was called the "dollar-a-minute girl" for huge fees for the 50s. Nevertheless, she ended her life as a waitress in a provincial pizzeria.
Dovim's name sounds exquisite and mysterious. You might think that it was invented by experienced image makers. But in fact, Dorothy Virginia Margaret Jaba, which was the name of our heroine at birth, came up with this pseudonym herself. Even as a child, a girl who loved to draw, signed with an unusual nickname made up of the first letters of her real name.
The future star of the modeling business was born in the New York borough of Queens in an international family. Her mother was Irish and her father was Polish. As a child, Dorothy drew a lot and dreamed of becoming a ballerina. But at the age of 10, she suffered from rheumatic fever, which seriously undermined her health. Until the age of 17, the girl was at home almost all the time and even mastered the school curriculum with visiting teachers.
The girl got married as soon as she turned 18. Her chosen one was a neighbor guy who worked as a small clerk in a bank. The young family lived in Dorothy's parents' house and constantly needed money. The young beauty did not even think about modeling at that time and worked as a salesman in a store, then as an assistant in a design bureau.
Everything changed suddenly — the manager of Vogue magazine noticed the young beauty on the street. She immediately invited Dorothy to come to the photo audition, as the model who was supposed to be shot for the publication suddenly fell ill. The girl had a similar type — she was a brunette with a wasp waist, pale face and expressive eyes. The very next day she posed for the iconic photographer Irwin Penn.
For the first photo shoot, which took a couple of hours, Dorothy received an incredible amount — $ 17.5. Just a year later, Dovima was already receiving at least $ 30 an hour, exactly how much her husband received for a week of work at the bank. Shooting for Vogue was a great start. Soon the girl was offered a contract by the Eileen Ford agency. Later, among his models will be such stars as Naomi Campbell and Brooke Shields.
In a short time, Dovima has become incredibly popular. No serious gloss could do without her pictures. In total, during her not too long career, the model appeared on 500 covers! At the same time, no one knew the real name of the beauty — for everyone she was a mysterious Invisible.
Each new project of the model caused the delight of journalists. Her beauty was called cold and aristocratic, and her smile was compared to the smile of Gioconda. Dovima never opened her lips and there was a reason for that. As a child, while playing in her mother's closet, Dorothy fell unsuccessfully and broke her front tooth. And so the main "trick" of the beauty appeared, which became her business card.
At the peak of her career, Dovima earned $60 an hour. At the same time, other popular models of the agency were content with an amount three times less. The best photographers of the 50s and 60s admired the beauty and charm of the model. Richard Avedon, for whom Dovima had been a muse for a long time, called her "the last of the outstanding and aristocratic beauties."
Thanks to Avedon, the most famous picture of Dovima with elephants appeared. This frame was among the best in the history of photography of the 20th century. It was made in a Paris circus, which in itself was unusual. Prior to that, the shooting was carried out in studios and Avedon and Dovima were the first to take fashion photography outside the premises.
The photo, which received the simple name "Dovima and Elephants", was taken in 1955 for Harper's Bazaar magazine. It shows a 28-year-old model posing in a Dior dress. This outfit can be called historical, as it was the first independent work of 19-year-old Yves Saint Laurent. The future couturier was just starting his career and held the position of assistant to Christian Dior.
The photo "Dovima and Elephants" is among the most expensive pictures in history today. In 2010, the original was sold at Christie's auction for $ 1 million. By the way, it was purchased for its collection by the fashion house Dior. In 2017, Time magazine included this photo in the list of the 100 most influential photographs of all time. This is the only image in the top related to the fashion industry.
When Dovima turned 30, she was at the peak of her career. By this time, her family life had broken down and the beauty divorced her first husband. But very soon a new man appeared in the model's life, with whom she married. Her husband was Allan Murray, an immigration officer. Soon a daughter Alison was born in the family.
Dovima's family lived in a luxurious nine-room apartment in the center of New York. Luxury cars, expensive outfits and dinners in the best restaurants were paid for by the star of the modeling business. Dovima's husband earned a little, but without a twinge of conscience enjoyed the benefits received from his wife.
But at some point, Murray decided that there was not enough money. He encouraged his wife to raise the rates for an hour from $ 60 to $75. But it was too high a price even for a star and Dovima's job began to be offered less and less. Money became less and less, and against this background, quarrels began between the spouses. Later in her memoirs, the model admits that her husband repeatedly raised his hand against her. It also happened that she had to give up filming because of the traces of beatings on her face.
When Dovima's daughter turned two, the marriage broke up. By this point, the model was barely making ends meet. There was no capital in her accounts — all the spouses spent on a luxurious life. It turned out that it was no longer possible to return to the model Olympus. Therefore, Dovima decided to try herself in the cinema.
Back in the 50s, Dovima met Hollywood star Audrey Hepburn. She even starred with her in the movie "Funny Face", however, in a cameo role. Hoping to start a career as a film actress, the model and her daughter moved from New York to Los Angeles.
The departure of the ex-wife with the child was perceived by Murray as a challenge. He accused Dovima of kidnapping a child and even involved the FBI in the case. As a result, a trial took place, during which the father received full custody of Alison, and the girl's mother paid a large fine. After that, the woman tried many times unsuccessfully to return her daughter. According to some information, she never saw her again. No one knows how the fate of this child turned out.
At the age of 35, Dovima announced the end of her modeling career. According to her, it was necessary to stop in time and not wait "when the camera becomes cruel." But by this time there was almost no demand for the former top model. Attempts to act in films were unsuccessful. Dovima appeared in several episodes, but did not arouse the interest of the producers.
Then the woman decided to do what she knew well. She opened a modeling agency, deciding that her former fame would help develop this business. But even these expectations were not met and the company soon had to be closed. The former glossy star found herself in a very difficult situation. As a model, she no longer worked, they were not interested in her in the cinema, and the business failed. Dorothy didn't even have the education to qualify for a decent job for hire.
At the age of 47, Dovima, who was disappointed in life and changed considerably in appearance, gave up. She moved to her retired parents in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There the woman lived an ordinary provincial life. She sold cosmetics, and then got a job at a pizzeria. A man appeared in her life again — her childhood friend West Hellingsworth. Dovima married him and the couple lived happily for 11 years.
But then West died, and the widowed Dorothy fell into a severe depression. She lived for several more years and died in 1990 from cancer. She was 62 years old. We can say that the death of the first top model went unnoticed. Only in the pizzeria, to which she gave the last years, her framed picture appeared on the wall. It was a copy of the same photograph of "Dovima and the Elephants".