Which photographer took the iconic 1955 fashion photograph Dovima with Elephants?

Richard Avedon took the iconic 1955 fashion photograph Dovima with Elephants.

The image was made at the Cirque d’hiver in Paris for Harper’s Bazaar. It shows American model Dovima wearing an elegant black Christian Dior evening gown while standing between elephants. The dramatic contrast between refined couture and powerful animals became one of the best-known fashion photographs of the 20th century.

Avedon was celebrated for giving fashion photography movement, emotion, and theatrical energy rather than treating models as static mannequins. Dovima with Elephants is often associated with his long collaboration with Harper’s Bazaar art director Alexey Brodovitch. The gown was designed by Dior, but Avedon was the photographer who composed and captured the famous image.

A common mix-up is to credit Christian Dior because the dress dominates the photograph. Dior created the dress; Avedon created the photograph. Dovima, whose professional name came from the first two letters of her three given names, was one of the leading models of the 1950s.