Dovima with Elephants, Paris, August (1955) – Richard Avedon

Celebrated star Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba, commonly known as Dovima, was photographed by renowned lensman Richard Avedon for Harper’s Bazaar in the mid-50s. At the time, they were already established personalities in the fashion industry, making this picture one of the most iconic in the field.

Dovima, who was described as the most unconventional beauty of her period, wore a Dior outfit, the first one that Yves Saint Laurent designed. This was taken at the Cirque Medrano in Paris, seemingly giving a new life to the phrase ‘beauty and the beast’. She died in 1990 after succumbing to liver cancer.