Susan Abraham: One of the Most Beautiful Models in the 1950s

Hailed as a classic English rose, Susan Abraham was actually Irish-American (like Grace Kelly, to whom she was often compared). Born 1930 in Burma, she grew up in Dublin and Connecticut, before moving to London and starting her modeling career — flatsharing with Myrtle Crawford, and posing for Vogue and the short-lived UK Vanity Fair.

Susan Abraham in the 1950s

Where her predecessors had treated the camera with thrilling contempt, Abraham was spontaneous and enthusiastic; in most pictures, she’s either giggling or flashing a broad grin, unashamedly having a whale of a time as she posed for John Deakin, Don Honeyman or Henry Clarke.

Like most of her English contemporaries, Abraham’s success was purely local. And, like most of them, marriage largely ended her career. Her wedding took place in January 1955, in Knightsbridge. She wed an eminently suitable young man (quite literally; both her father, and his, were the heads of major British oil companies). Afterwards — apart from occasional appearances for favorite photographers, like John French — Abraham retired. She died in 2020 in UK at the age of 90.

Take a look at these glamorous photos to see portraits of young Susan Abraham as a model in the 1950s.

Susan Abraham in barleycorn jersey tweed suit, jacket is belted in narrow tan calf, the skirt has one inverted pleat by Matita, pom-pom hat by R.M.Hats, photo by Richard Dormer at the Tate Gallery, Harper's Bazaar UK, November 1951

Susan Abraham in bottle-green wool dress with a bolero-like bodice, the buttons continue on the skirt by Frank Usher, hat by R.M.Hats, Mohlo dark mink stole, photo by Richard Dormer at Tate Gallery, Harper's Bazaar UK, November 1951

Susan Abraham in button-through dress in gun-metal gray jersey with dove-gray stripes, raglan sleeves, hip pockets and black patent belt by H.B.Popper, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, September 1951

Susan Abraham in cocktail suit with lampshade jacket and self-checked black velvet skirt by Worth, feathered hat with wisp of veil by Renée Pavy, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, September 1951

Susan Abraham in layers of tulle, gown from the London Collections, photo by Norman Parkinson, Vogue, March 1951

Susan Abraham in sheer organdy tiered gown from the London Collections, photo by Norman Parkinson, Vogue, March 1951

Susan Abraham in Swiss voile blouse with stiff collar and fly-away cuffs, the cross-cut back gives a pouched effect, by Eric Hart, photo by Keith Ewart, Harper's Bazaar UK, August 1951

Susan Abraham in boxy wool jacket in canary yellow over navy-blue jeans in Bedford cord slit at the bottom, both by Jaeger, photo by Richard Dormer at Lamorna Cove, Cornwall, Harper's Bazaar UK, July 1952

Susan Abraham in elaborately pailletted evening gown from Roecliff and Chapman, Vogue UK, December 1952

Susan Abraham in Fath's sophisticated tortoise-shell colored wool suit, accessorized with a beret and muff made of nutria and matching gloves, photo by Henry Clarke, Vogue France, September 1952

Susan Abraham in fitted coat Chinese lamb dyed palest gray, fullness in back gripped by buckled half-belt by Bradleys, peach-bloom velours hat from Langée, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, September 1952

Susan Abraham in pale gray tie-silk dress ringed with white, with a finely pleated skirt and 3/4 sleeves buttoning at the elbow from Peter Jones, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, July 1952

Susan Abraham in pleated white organza evening dress with stiffened petticoats by Julian Rose, photo by Maurice Tabard, Harper's Bazaar UK, June 1952

Susan Abraham is wearing a moss-green hat in peach-bloom velours with a black petersham tied bow at the side by Edelle, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, September 1952

Susan Abraham is wearing a mustard-colored suède cap gathered into a pony-tail behind held by a single gold clasp by Rudolf, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, September 1952

Susan Abraham in a back-buttoning blouse in yellow velours by Maggy Rouff, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, November 1953

Susan Abraham in a column of delphinium-blue satin, the top lustrous with velvet and sequins worn under its own velvet jacket by Arthur Banks, photo by Richard Dormer, George St. Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh, Harper's Bazaar UK, August 1953

Susan Abraham in a smoke-gray jacket with stand-away collar over a princess dress by Frederick Starke, photo by Keith Ewart, Harper's Bazaar UK, September 1953

Susan Abraham in black-and-white tweed dress with bound pockets fastening diagonally from neck to waist, belted in leather, by Young Lomdoner, felt toque by Harvane, photo by Keith Ewart, Harper's Bazaar UK, October 1953

Susan Abraham in bold black and white basket-tweed coat with deep V-pointed yoke and buttoned inverted pleat behind by Hardy Amies, hat by Rose Vernier, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, September 1953

Susan Abraham in dress and jacket suit in white surah with small black pattern, under a petalwise velvet collared jacket by Susan Small, hat by Hugh Beresford, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, June 1953

Susan Abraham in gray wool suit faintly striped with pink by Dorville, Jaeger hat, bag from Bagcraft, Ascher square, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, August 1953

Susan Abraham in grayish-olive green suit with a chin-high cowl neckline and low collar in back by Michael at Lachasse, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, March 1953

Susan Abraham in lime-green tweed dress with v-neckline by Dorville, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, December 1953

Susan Abraham in mole-brown backswept faille gown embroidered with gold, jeweled flowers and pale-blue beads, blue chiffon lines the little Edwardian jacket by Worth, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, September 1953

Susan Abraham in off-white tweed dress, the empire line marked with black satin ribbon by Susan Small, black braided hat by Otto Lucas, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, November 1953

Susan Abraham in raspberry silk and mohair dress, fitted corselet torso over swaying pleated skirt, more pleats cover the shoulder line, by Ronald Paterson, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, March 1953

Susan Abraham in shining ball dress of lavender satin cascading from silver bodice shimmering with pearls and rhinestones by Peter Russell, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, March 1953

Susan Abraham in short barrel coat of sulphur yellow brushed fleece over a brown and yellow check dress by Michael Sherard, hat by Renée Pavy, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, March 1953

Susan Abraham wearing accessories all in beaver, the hat by Rudolf, the slotted stole and round muff from the National Fur Co., photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, October 1953

Susan Abraham in fitted coat of black worsted duvetyne illuminated by a huge diamanté buckle fastening the high draped neck by Nabré and an immense black Persian muff, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, December 1954

Susan Abraham is wearing a black ribbed velvet painter's beret by Otto Lucas, a natural Russian sable tie by Deanfield Furs, photo by Tom Kublin at Atkinson's, Bond St., Harper's Bazaar UK, December 1954

Susan Abraham in beautiful ball gown of bluebells embroidered on white silk organdie, the sleeves are bands of green velvet by John Cavanagh, photo by Don Silverstein, Vogue, March 15, 1956

Susan Abraham in evening dress of eglantine satin, the skirt draped to the back and tied in a flat bow with a diamanté buckle by Michael Sherard, photo by Eugene Vernier, Vogue, October 15, 1956

Susan Abraham in bold cotton shirtwaist dress in a wallpaper print by Berkertex, photo by John French, Harper's Bazaar UK, January 1957

Susan Abraham in champagne-colored coat in linen hopsack, the coat jutting back, collarless under the ringed cowl collar of the suit beneath by Harry popper, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, June 1957

Susan Abraham in John Cavanagh's strapless evening gown, photo John French, London, UK, Spring 1957

Susan Abraham in lovely, airy floral print chiffon, softly draped and gathered a free-flying stole knotted in the plunging V in the back by Julian Rose, photo by John French, Harper's Bazaar UK, January 1957

Susan Abraham in short evening dress of cotton finished to look and feel like satin, red roses in white with pink sleeved stole that falls to the hem by Horrockses, photo by John French, Harper's Bazaar UK, January 1957

Susan Abraham, photo by Eugene Vernier, Vogue, May 1957