Dovima with Elephants by Richard Avedon changed the game of fashion photography from the moment it was snapped at the Cirque D’Hiver in Paris in 1955.

This photograph is one of the most famous in the history of fashion photography, and with good reason. It’s not everyday that you have models willing to risk their lives for the shot. Maybe more so now with the increasing necessity for likes, but I digress. This photo changed the fashion industry in several ways. First of all, Dovima with Elephants made it so that models weren’t just mannequins anymore. Previously they had been put in a studio and told to hunch their shoulders slightly and look pretty. Avedon realized that the clothes would be enhanced if the model had agency with them. You would think that that would be a no-brainer but apparently it wasn’t. Secondly, Avedon invented the idea of taking models out of the studio into the streets, or the circus as the case may be. Fashion photography took place almost exclusively indoors until Avedon set it free. Another important realization that was brought about by the photo was the fact that the designer, Yves Saint Laurent was about to be a force to be reckoned with. This dress was under the designer Christian Dior’s name but was actually designed by his assistant, the 19-year-old Yves Saint Laurent.

The woman in this picture was a supermodel by the name of Dovima. Her real name was Dorothy Virginia Margaret Juba but this wasn’t supermodel-y enough so she took the first two initials of her given names and created Dovima. She was the one who invented the single name power that we now see in P!nk, Bono, and and Enya. Dorothy was born in Queens, New York and was a sickly child. Seven of her adolescent years were spent in bed, resulting in some serious self-esteem issues. Despite these issues she continued on with life as usual until she was discovered while waiting for a friend in the same building where Vogue had its offices. She had a photoshoot that day and got her first paid gig the next. Soon she was one of the most prominent models of her generation and was known as Dollar-a-Minute Girl because she demanded to be paid $60 per hour, while other model were happy with $25. But it makes sense because Avedon referred to her as “the last of the elegant, aristocratic beauties,” her smile was compared to Mona Lisa, and her beauty to Queen Nefertiti.

Without Dovima, this image may not have even been possible. She and Avedon worked together many times during their careers. Dovima said of their relationship: “We became like mental Siamese twins, with me knowing what he wanted before he explained it. He asked me to do extraordinary things, but I always knew I was going to be part of a great picture.” And a great picture this was, in part due to Dovima’s courage in the face of lightly chained elephants. This photo was first printed in a 1955 issue of Harper’s Bazaar. It was meant to create a juxtaposition between the beauty of Dovima and the beasts, the elephants, although I personally think they're cuter than she is. This remains the gold standard of fashion photography and is featured in Time’s list of the top 100 photographs ever taken, along with a picture of JFK being assassinated.