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When Richard Avedon photographed Dovima at a Paris circus in 1955 for Harper’s Bazaar, both were already prominent
in their fields. She was one of the world’s most famous models, and he was one of the most famous fashion photographers.
It makes sense, then, that Dovima With Elephants is one of the most famous fashion photographs of all time. But its enduring
influence lies as much in what it captures as in the two people who made it. Dovima was one of the last great models of
the sophisticated mold, when haute couture was a relatively cloistered and elite world. After the 1950s, models began to
gravitate toward girl-next-door looks instead of the old generation’s unattainable beauty, helping turn high fashion into
entertainment. Dovima With Elephants distills that shift by juxtaposing the spectacle and strength of the elephants with
Dovima’s beauty—and the delicacy of her gown, which was the first Dior dress designed by Yves Saint Laurent. The
picture also brings movement to a medium that was previously typified by stillness. Models had long been mannequins,
meant to stand still while the clothes got all the attention. Avedon saw what was wrong with that equation: clothes didn’t
just make the man; the man also made the clothes. And by moving models out of the studio and placing them against
exciting backdrops, he helped blur the line between commercial fashion photography and art. In that way, Dovima With
Elephants captures a turning point in our broader culture: the last old-style model, setting fashion off on its new path.
DOVIMA WITH ELEPHANTS Richard Avedon, Cirque d’Hiver, Paris, August 1955