Donyale Luna was the first notable African American model and the first black cover girl (1960’s). She also appeared in several films, most notably as the title character in Salome, a 1972 film by director Carmelo Bene, and several films by Andy Warhol. According to The New York Times, she was under exclusive contract to the photographer Richard Avedon for a year at the beginning of her career.

An article in Time magazine published on 1 April 1966, “The Luna Year”, described the dramatically thin and tall (6′ 2″) model with the hallmark bright blue contact lenses and occasional blond wig as “a new heavenly body who, because of her striking singularity, promises to remain on high for many a season. Donyale Luna, as she calls herself, is unquestionably the hottest model in Europe at the moment. She is only Read the full story