Born 1927 as Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba in Queens, New York, American supermodel Dovima was discovered on a sidewalk in New York by an editor at Vogue, and had a photo shoot with Irving Penn the following day.
Dovima in the early 1950s
Dovima was reputed to be the highest-paid model of her time, demanding $60 per hour when most of the top models were receiving only around $25 per hour. She became known as the “Dollar-a-Minute Girl.”
Dovima had a minor role as Marion in the film Funny Face. The character was an aristocratic-looking but empty-headed fashion model with a Jackson Heights whine. Throughout the 1960s, she first tried acting then attempted working as an agent but found little success. Eventually, by the 1970s, she had moved in with her parents in Florida, and was working as a hostess at The Two Guys Pizza Parlor in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, by the 1980s.
Dovima died of liver cancer in 1990, at the age of 62. Take a look at these stunning photos to see portraits of a young supermodel Dovima in the 1950s.
Dovima in an at-home costume of Celanese duo-tone panne satin by Jane Derby, Vogue, December 1, 1950
Dovima in Dior’s ball gown of tulle and velvet embroidered with sparkling flowers, the velvet overskirt hooks on and off, photo by Richard Avedon, Harper’s Bazaar, December 1950
Dovima in gala evening gown of shapely bodice in brilliant red taffeta over irregular clouds of tulle by Ceil Chapman, photo by Irving Penn, Vogue, August 15, 1950
Dovima in gray embroidered tulle sheath with pink faille sash that falls in wide panel by Balenciaga, photo by Richard Avedon, Harper’s bazaar, November 1950
Dovima in Pacific Craft Fabric woolen suit trimmed in velvet, hat by Lilly Daché, and brooch by Verdura, photo by Erwin Blumenfeld, Vogue, August 1, 1950
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