Dovima was without a doubt the most glamorous model of the 1950s. She not only succeeded Dorian Leigh as the highest paid fashion model of her day, but she embodied the image of the worldliness and beauty that defined the tone of the era. She was regal, elegant, unapproachable, yet desirable. She had dark hair and was considered to be an exotic-looking Irish-American beauty. Upon her death in 1963, she died as a hostess at a local pizza parlour in Fort Lauderdale. But even at this point, she was still regarded as a celebrity.

Born Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba in New York in 1927, Dovima, as she became known, was raised as a devout Catholic in Jackson Heights, Queens. Due to having contracted rheumatic fever at ten, she was confined to bed rest for one year. Her mother kept her home for 7 years to recuperate, which greatly limited her contact with others. In her solitude, Dovima began studying painting. It was during this period that she invited for herself an imaginary friend called, "Dovima". The only contact that she had with friends in the outside world was through the telephone.

Today there seems to be a bit of a conflict surrounding the origins of Dovima's professional name. In an article published by Wintrhop Sargeant in 1958, he claims that Dovima's birth name is Dorothy Horan and not Dorothy Juba. He also claimed that Dovima stood for "Do" for "Dorothy," "vi" for "victory," and "ma" for her mother, whom she called "ma". He claims that she "created" the name for professional reasons. That article was titled, "A Woman Entering a Taxi in the Rain". However, that really seems unlikely as she invited the name as a child for her imaginary friend when confined to her home to recuperate from her illness.

After fully recovering and getting from under her mother's watchful eye, Dovima began to explore her surroundings. One day while going to meet a friend in Manhattan, an editor from Vogue approached her. It turns out that the woman was an editor at Vogue. She asked Dovima if she had ever modeled. Accepting to accompany the editor to the Vogue offices, Dovima was subjected to a photographic test. Success!!! The very next day, she had her very first magazine spread shoot for Vogue with fashion photographer, Irving Penn.
Dovi...

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