Ophelia Devore
Encyclopedia
Madame Ophelia DeVore was the first mixed-race model in the United States. In 1946, she helped establish the Grace Del Marco Agency, one of the first modeling agencies in America.
. She was one of ten children born to John Walter DeVore, who was of German American
and African American
descent, and Mary Emma Strother, who was a Black Indian.
Monsieur Devore owned a road contracting business and her mother was an educator and musician. Her father mentored her in communicating well with people, as her mother stressed proper education, appearance, and etiquette.
Madame DeVore attended segregated schools until she was nine, and then moved to Winston-Salem to live with her mother’s brother, John. Two years later she moved to New York City
to stay with her great-aunt Stella Carter. This prevented any future educational interruptions due to her father's travel schedule.
Madame Devore graduated from Hunter College High School and went on to New York University. There, she majored in mathematics and minored in languages.
In 1941, she married Harold Cater. He worked as a firefighter while she studied fashion, public relations, and advertising. Together, they produced five children: Carol, Jimmy, Marie, Michael and Cheryl.
Madame Devore married Vernon Mitchell in 1968, who died in 1972.
In 1989, she was featured in Brian Lanker's "I Dream a World," a collection of portraits and biographies of black women who helped change America. In 2004, she was honored by the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Fashion Arts Xchange, Inc. for her contributions to fashion and entertainment. She is also the CEO and publisher of The Columbus Times Newspaper in Columbus, Georgia.
, Madame Devore would "pass" for Norwegian and gain contracts throughout Europe. In 1946, determined to create a new market for non-White women in the U.S., Madame DeVore would establish The Grace Del Marco Agency.
In the agency's early days, it was a stepping stone for countless household names; Diahann Carroll, Helen Williams
, Richard Roundtree
, Cicely Tyson
and others. Racism was rampant in New York’s fashion business and the Grace Del Marco Agency was one of the few places non-White models could gain work.
Her agency's shows took place in churches, college campuses, and in the ballrooms of the Diplomat and Waldorf-Astoria hotels. Like many non-Whites in the mid-twentieth century, DeVore’s breakthrough came in Europe
; specifically through the French fashion
world.
The initial impact took place at many of the Cannes Film Festival
s during the 1950s and 1960’s. Madame Devore also seized media for business equity by co-hosting ABC’s Spotlight on Harlem. Her intensity to "make it" demanded relentless dedication and work ethic; enough to cause her a heart attack while still in her twenties.
In the agency's later years, it was renamed Ophelia DeVore Associates, and then the Ophelia DeVore Organization. In 1985, DeVore broadened her enterprise globally to include Swaziland as a client, and published her late husband’s newspaper The Columbus Times.
Life
Madame Emma Ophelia DeVore was born on August 12, 1922 in Edgefield, South CarolinaEdgefield, South Carolina
Edgefield is a town in Edgefield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 4,449 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Edgefield County.Edgefield is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area.-Geography:...
. She was one of ten children born to John Walter DeVore, who was of German American
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
and African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
descent, and Mary Emma Strother, who was a Black Indian.
Monsieur Devore owned a road contracting business and her mother was an educator and musician. Her father mentored her in communicating well with people, as her mother stressed proper education, appearance, and etiquette.
Madame DeVore attended segregated schools until she was nine, and then moved to Winston-Salem to live with her mother’s brother, John. Two years later she moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to stay with her great-aunt Stella Carter. This prevented any future educational interruptions due to her father's travel schedule.
Madame Devore graduated from Hunter College High School and went on to New York University. There, she majored in mathematics and minored in languages.
In 1941, she married Harold Cater. He worked as a firefighter while she studied fashion, public relations, and advertising. Together, they produced five children: Carol, Jimmy, Marie, Michael and Cheryl.
Madame Devore married Vernon Mitchell in 1968, who died in 1972.
In 1989, she was featured in Brian Lanker's "I Dream a World," a collection of portraits and biographies of black women who helped change America. In 2004, she was honored by the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Fashion Arts Xchange, Inc. for her contributions to fashion and entertainment. She is also the CEO and publisher of The Columbus Times Newspaper in Columbus, Georgia.
The Grace Del Marco Agency
DeVore began modeling at the age of 16. As a fair-skinned African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, Madame Devore would "pass" for Norwegian and gain contracts throughout Europe. In 1946, determined to create a new market for non-White women in the U.S., Madame DeVore would establish The Grace Del Marco Agency.
In the agency's early days, it was a stepping stone for countless household names; Diahann Carroll, Helen Williams
Helen Williams
Helen Mary Williams CB is a British civil servant and Director of School Curriculum and Pupil Well-being at the Department for Children, Schools and Families....
, Richard Roundtree
Richard Roundtree
Richard Roundtree is an American actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film Shaft and in its two sequels, Shaft's Big Score and Shaft in Africa .-Personal life:Born in New Rochelle, New York, Richard Roundtree graduated from...
, Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson is an American actress. A successful stage actress, Tyson is also known for her Oscar-nominated role in the film Sounder and the television movies The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and Roots....
and others. Racism was rampant in New York’s fashion business and the Grace Del Marco Agency was one of the few places non-White models could gain work.
Her agency's shows took place in churches, college campuses, and in the ballrooms of the Diplomat and Waldorf-Astoria hotels. Like many non-Whites in the mid-twentieth century, DeVore’s breakthrough came in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
; specifically through the French fashion
French fashion
Fashion has been an important industry and cultural export of France since the seventeenth century, and modern "haute couture" originated in Paris in the 1860s...
world.
The initial impact took place at many of the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
s during the 1950s and 1960’s. Madame Devore also seized media for business equity by co-hosting ABC’s Spotlight on Harlem. Her intensity to "make it" demanded relentless dedication and work ethic; enough to cause her a heart attack while still in her twenties.
In the agency's later years, it was renamed Ophelia DeVore Associates, and then the Ophelia DeVore Organization. In 1985, DeVore broadened her enterprise globally to include Swaziland as a client, and published her late husband’s newspaper The Columbus Times.
Philosophy
Madame DeVore has always maintained a role as activist for non-White inclusion in the fashion industry and creating universally inclusive concepts designed for excellence.External links
- Ophelia Devore-Mitchell's oral history video excerpts at The National Visionary Leadership Project