Fashion model Dorothea Towles Church in a rare 1950’s women of color feature.
Miss Towles found stardom in the early 1950’s as the first black model to appear on the runways of Paris. She held a Masters of Science degree attained at the University of Southern California and worked initially as a teacher. Church modeled for five years in Paris for all the top fashion designers including Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain, Schiaparelli, Jacques Fath, and Robert Piguet.
After returning to the USA in 1953, she continued working as a model with the Grace de Marco agency in New York and also as a fashion commentator ( featured here ) for radio station WOV.
Also included is the lesser known Vera Francis.
Vera Francis, who hailed from Harlem was a regular cover girl, some time actress and model. Her career fluctuated through various scandals and affairs with Hollywood actors. Though enjoying a career in theater, she faded from public memory.
Restored and Colorized with Deoldify
A Deep Learning based project for colorizing and restoring old black and white footage and imagery.
Footage curated by Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division.
1953) One tenth of a nation. Achievements. [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress,
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