Cathee Dahmen
Cathee Dahmen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Cathee Dahmen September 16, 1945 |
| Died | November 25, 1997 (aged 52) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Catherine Helen Sachs |
| Occupation | Model |
| Spouse(s) | Leonard Whiting; Alan Merrill |
Catherine Helen Sachs née Cathee Dahmen (September 16 1945 – November 25 1997) was a model in the 1960s and 1970s.
She was half German, half Native American Chippewa, and was born and raised in Minnesota.[1]
Modeling career
Dahmen left home at age 17 to live with an uncle in Providence, Rhode Island, artist George Morrison.[1] She was discovered in her late teens by an illustrator for The New York Times, Antonio Lopez, who introduced her to the fashion world in New York City.
Cathee Dahmen worked for Ford Models, in New York during her peak years in the late 1960s, where she was one of Eileen Ford's top earners.[2] She appeared on the cover of Harper's Bazaar in 1968,[3] and of Vogue Magazine in 1971. She was associated with the Youthquake movement in fashion.[4]
Family
Cathee grew up in South Minneapolis, MN. She gave birth to her first Daughter Veronica Rose Dahmen. She kept Veronica, nick named "Cricket" for almost 11 months. One day, while Cathee was at High School he own Mother packed Cricket up and adopted her out, without Cathee's knowledge. Cathee moved out to Providence Rhode Island to escape the sadness and begin a new start. She was discovered by Antonio Lopez/ NY Times Fashion Illustrator. "Cricket" was adopted into a family in Minneapolis, MN and her adoption was finalized in 1964. Although Cricket was no longer in Cathee's life, she never forgot her.
After marrying British actor Leonard Whiting, she moved to London where she continued modeling for the Models One agency. She gave birth to daughter Sarah Beth Whiting during her first marriage. In the late 1970s she divorced Whiting, and married again, to singer Alan Merrill, moving to New York.[5] In 2009, a Denver Post article revealed that a daughter, Susie Fedorko, had adopted by a Minnesota Catholic family, and only later discovered that her mother "became a supermodel in the 1970s and hung out with the likes of Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol."[6] Dahmen gave birth to daughter Laura Ann Sachs and son Allan Preston Sachs Jr. during her second marriage.[7]
Dahmen retired from modeling in 1980 and died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema in 1997.[2]
References
- ^ a b "Native American Adoptee-coming Home". Retrieved 2012-11-22.
- ^ a b "Cathee Dahmen by Susie Fedorko". Retrieved 2012-11-22.
- ^ "Paper Pursuits: fashion and design print collectibles -- Vintage Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Couturier Patterns, Fashion Ads and Books". Retrieved 2012-11-22.
- ^ "youthquakers: August 1971 -UK Vogue". Youthquaker, 1965-1975. Retrieved 2012-11-22.
- ^ "alanmerrill.net: Alan Merrill's Biography". Retrieved 2012-11-22.
- ^ Whaley, Monte. "Forcibly adopted American Indians torn between cultures". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2012-11-22.
- ^ Fedorko, Suzie. "My Birth Mother, The Fashion Model". MORE Magazine. Retrieved 2012-11-22.
External links
- Cathee Dahmen, Antonio Lopez and friends in 1966, New York Times Fashion & Style section