Richard Avedon
Dovima with elephants, evening dress by Dior, Cirque d'Hiver, Paris

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Images(2)

Artist Richard Avedon (American, 1923–2004)American, 1923–2004

CultureAmerican

Titles

Dovima with elephants, evening dress by Dior, Cirque d'Hiver, Paris

DateAugust 1955, printed c. 1978

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsImage: 50 × 40 in. (127 × 101.6 cm)
Sheet: 50 × 40 in. (127 × 101.6 cm)

Credit LineGift of Karen Kelsey Duddlesten in honor of Anne Wilkes Tucker on the occasion of her retirement

Object number2017.446

Not on view

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Department

Photography

Object Type

PHOTOGRAPHS

DescriptionNot merely one of Avedon’s standout images, Dovima with Elephants is among the most iconic of all fashion photographs. With her slender frame and regal features, Dovima (born Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba) was the epitome of 1950s elegance and the highest paid fashion model when Richard Avedon selected her for a photo shoot of Christian Dior’s fall collection in 1955. She was, according to Avedon, “the last of the great elegant, aristocratic beauties . . . the most remarkable and unconventional beauty of her time.” Shot at the Cirque d’hiver in Paris, rather than in the studio as nearly all previous fashion photography had been, Avedon’s photograph grabbed attention for its surprising setting and its lumbering costars whose heavy, dirty, gray, wrinkled, and chained bodies made Dovima, in a black-and-white evening dress, seem all the more graceful and free.
ProvenanceThe artist; [Cronin Gallery, Houston], 1978 or 1979; purchased by Karen Duddlesten; given to MFAH, 2017.
Exhibition History"In Appreciation: Gifts in Honor of Anne Wilkes Tucker," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, June 26–October 11, 2015.

"Icons of Style: A Century of Fashion Photography," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, June 23–September 22, 2019.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Stamped in black, verso, bottom left: This image exists in the following edition sizes and numbers // 10 x 8 inches Edition of 100 // 24 x 20 inches Edition of 50 // 49 x 40 inches Edition of 50 // 60 x 48 inches Edition of 15 // 82 x 65 inches Edition of 10 // No further prints will be made from this negative // with the exception of a limited number made // solely in connection with museum exhibitions. //

This photograph may not be reproduced // without written permission of Richard Avedon // Copyright ©1955 Richard Avedon // All Rights Reserved //

Dovima with elephants // Evening dress by Dior // Cirque d'Hiver, Paris // August 1955

Signed, verso, bottom center: Avedon 8/50

Signed, verso, bottom center: Avedon 8/50

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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