Hailed as a classic English rose, Susan Abraham was actually Irish-American (like Grace Kelly, to whom she was often compared). Born 1930 in Burma, she grew up in Dublin and Connecticut, before moving to London and starting her modeling career — flatsharing with Myrtle Crawford, and posing for Vogue and the short-lived UK Vanity Fair.
Susan Abraham in the 1950s
Where her predecessors had treated the camera with thrilling contempt, Abraham was spontaneous and enthusiastic; in most pictures, she’s either giggling or flashing a broad grin, unashamedly having a whale of a time as she posed for John Deakin, Don Honeyman or Henry Clarke.
Like most of her English contemporaries, Abraham’s success was purely local. And, like most of them, marriage largely ended her career. Her wedding took place in January 1955, in Knightsbridge. She wed an eminently suitable young man (quite literally; both her father, and his, were the heads of major British oil companies). Afterwards — apart from occasional appearances for favorite photographers, like John French — Abraham retired. She died in 2020 in UK at the age of 90.
Take a look at these glamorous photos to see portraits of young Susan Abraham as a model in the 1950s.
Susan Abraham in barleycorn jersey tweed suit, jacket is belted in narrow tan calf, the skirt has one inverted pleat by Matita, pom-pom hat by R.M.Hats, photo by Richard Dormer at the Tate Gallery, Harper’s Bazaar UK, November 1951
Susan Abraham in bottle-green wool dress with a bolero-like bodice, the buttons continue on the skirt by Frank Usher, hat by R.M.Hats, Mohlo dark mink stole, photo by Richard Dormer at Tate Gallery, Harper’s Bazaar UK, November 1951
Susan Abraham in button-through dress in gun-metal gray jersey with dove-gray stripes, raglan sleeves, hip pockets and black patent belt by H.B.Popper, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper’s Bazaar UK, September 1951
Susan Abraham in cocktail suit with lampshade jacket and self-checked black velvet skirt by Worth, feathered hat with wisp of veil by Renée Pavy, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper’s Bazaar UK, September 1951
Susan Abraham in layers of tulle, gown from the London Collections, photo by Norman Parkinson, Vogue, March 1951
Leave a Reply