Wilhelmina Gertrud Frieda Cooper(néeBehmenburg;11 May 1939 – 1 March 1980) was a Dutch-American model who began withFord Models,and at the peak of her success, founded her own agency,Wilhelmina Models,in New York City in 1967.[3]
Wilhelmina Cooper | |
|---|---|
 Cooper photographed byEdgar de Eviacirca 1960s | |
| Born | Wilhelmina Gertrud Frieda Behmenburg 11 May 1939 Culemborg,Gelderland,Netherlands |
| Died | 1 March 1980(aged 40) |
| Other names | Winnie Hart |
| Spouse |
Bruce Cooper (m.1965) |
| Children | 2 |
| Modeling information | |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1][2] |
| Hair color | Dark brown |
| Eye color | Brown |
Biography
editWilhelmina Gertrud Frieda Behmenburg was born on 11 May 1939 inCulemborg,the daughter of Wilhelm Robert Karl Behmenburg (1901–1977), who was a German butcher,[4]and Klasina van der Straten (1909–1992). Some sources list her name as being Gertrude Wilhelmina Behmenburg[5][6][7]or Willy Gertruida Frieda Behmenburg.
She had a younger brother, Walter Günther Behmenburg (1941–1945), who died at three years old after being hit by a car.[8]The family moved toUtrechtin 1942, where they lived until 1944. AfterWorld War II,they moved toOldenburg, Germany.[9]
The family immigrated to Chicago in 1954.[8]There, she became obsessed with fashion magazines, later saying,
I even went to second-hand stores to buy all the old issues… I read them cover to cover, devouring every word and every picture of my new idols, the beautiful models who reached so glamorously from the pages out to me.
In 1956, she borrowed money from her father to go to modeling school. She took on the stage name Winnie Hart, and in 1958, she graduated from high school and joined the Models Bureau.[8]
Patricia Stevens, a booker at another agency, approached Wilhelmina at the 1959 International Trade Show in Chicago and instructed her to lose 20 pounds if she wanted to become a successful model, as well as get rid of the stage name Winnie Hart. After losing the weight, she traveled to New York, whereEileen Fordof theFord Modeling Agencytold her that she needed to lose 20 more pounds and then she could go toParis.[10]
In Paris a colleague introduced Wilhelmina todiet pills.She reflected,
I was on continuous diets. I’m not fat as far as real life is concerned, but I certainly was when it came to modeling. I ate twice a week. In between, it was cigarettes and black coffee. On Wednesday, I had a little bowl of soup so I wouldn’t get too sick, or a little piece of cheese on a cracker. On Sunday, I’d have a small filet mignon without salt or any sauce. I was running on nervous energy as well as determination.
She spent a year in Paris and was featured on the cover of the December 1960 issue ofL'Officielbefore returning to the U.S. and becoming one of the most famous models of the 1960s. During her career, she appeared on the cover of 255 magazines, and also modeled in South America,India,Hong Kong,and Europe. In France, she worked for bothCoco ChanelandChristian Dior.[11]She also holds the record for most covers on AmericanVogue,appearing 27[12]or 28 times.[1]At the height of her career, Wilhelmina made $100,000 a year.
In 1964, in a series called Private Lives of High Fashion Models, theNew York Journal Americansaid that Wilhelmina was a top model out of the 405 other models who were under contract at New York's top five agencies. Her career was also discussed in aChicago Sun-Timesarticle calledWilhelmina: From Waller High To Haute Couture.
According to her obituary inTime:
During her cover-girl days, Wilhelmina boasted that she was "one of the few high-fashion models built like a woman." And she was. With her 5 ft. 11 in., 38-24-36 frame, doe eyes, delicate cheekbones, and mane of high-piled dark hair, she epitomized the classical, aristocratic look that she helped to make the style standard of the 1950s and '60s...[3]
On 5 February 1965, she married Victor Bruce Cooper, former executive producer ofThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.[8]They had two children together; Melissa Wilhelmina Cooper and Jason S. Cooper.[13]
In 1967, they founded Wilhelmina Models, which became the other leading model agency alongside Ford Models, years beforeElite Model Managementand other agencies began.
Death
editOn 1 March 1980, Cooper died oflung cancerat the age of 40 in Greenwich Hospital,Greenwich, Connecticut.[14][15]
In popular culture
editCooper was portrayed byFaye Dunawayin the 1998 movieGia,which tells the story ofGia Carangi,a model who was discovered by Cooper and later died of AIDS.
References
edit- ^abCooper, Wilhelmina (27 February 1972)."How Tough Is It to Become a Top Model and Cover Girl?".Tri City Herald – Family Weekly.
- ^Cooper, Wilhelmina (1978).The New You.New York: Simon and Schuster. p.17.ISBN0-671-22487-5.
- ^ab"Wilhelmina Cooper obituary".TIME.17 March 1980. Archived fromthe originalon 2 December 2008.Retrieved on 6 August 2008.
- ^Cooper, Wilhelmina (1978).The New You.New York: Simon and Schuster. p.9.ISBN0-671-22487-5.
- ^Room, Adrian (10 January 2014).Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins, 5th ed.McFarland.ISBN9780786457632.
- ^Koda, Harold; Yohannan, Kohle (2009).The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion.Metropolitan Museum of Art.ISBN9781588393135.
- ^Wills, David (3 October 2017).Switched On: Women Who Revolutionized Style in the 60's.Simon and Schuster.ISBN9781681882611.
- ^abcd"Bruce Cooper Archives".
- ^How Tough Is It to Become A Top ModelArchived14 April 2020 at theWayback MachineinTri City Herald,1972
- ^"Wilhelmina – glamour and tragedy".a Enigma.13 November 2015.Retrieved29 March2021.
- ^Barbara Cloud (4 June 2006)."A lovely life taken by smoking".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Archived fromthe originalon 29 June 2011.Retrieved8 July2007.Retrieved on 6 August 2008.
- ^Schwarz, Mark (2008)."Dear Shareholder"(PDF).Wilhelmina International, Inc. Annual Report 2008.Wilhelmina: 3. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 11 February 2011.
- ^Fried, Stephen (June 1994).Thing of Beauty.Simon and Schuster.ISBN9780671701055.
Wilhelmina Cooper.
- ^Laurie Johnston (3 March 1980)."Wilhelmina, High-Fashion Model And Agency Owner, Is Dead at 40".New York Times.Retrieved on 6 August 2008.
- ^""A lovely life taken by smoking",Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,4 juni 2006 ".Archived fromthe originalon 29 June 2011.Retrieved8 July2007.
External links
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