The History of Hawai‘i From Our Files: How a Local Girl Landed a Modeling Career in New York
HONOLULU Magazine emerged from predecessor Paradise of the Pacific, which began in 1888, fulfilling a commission by King Kalākaua. That makes this the oldest continuously published magazine west of the Mississippi with an enviable archive worth diving into each month. Here’s a look back at September 1966.
A striking feature on local girl-turned-model Chris Thompson tells of her Cinderella-like rise from gangly teenager to cover star. She was discovered by Mrs. Henry Damon and her 8-year-old son Dwight at Ala Moana Center, and now, “She’s living with Eileen Ford, head of a top model agency, and life is very exciting indeed,” HONOLULU writes. “This week Chris has started jobs in New York for Glamor and Mademoiselle magazines, a TV commercial and has been invited to Europe for the fashion openings.”
SEE ALSO: The History of Hawai‘i From Our Files: “The Musical Dentist” Who Now Studies Narwhals
Though the write-up focuses on Thompson, success also comes to others around her: The jewelry in the photos was designed by Al and Linda Brown for Baba Kea, which lands its own department in Liberty House in 1967. Photographer Alma McGoldrick’s bold, bright work regularly graces the pages of HONOLULU for the next decade. And Dwight, great-grandson of Samuel Mills Damon, grows up to play a prominent role in the local film community as owner of Kaimukī’s much-loved Movie Museum.
SEE ALSO: The Iconic Career of 1960s Fashion Photographer Alma McGoldrick
Learn more about the evolution of covers in HONOLULU Magazine and Paradise of the Pacific: 125 Years of Covers, available at shop.honolulumagazine.com.
Find more photos from Honolulu’s past every Thursday on Instagram @honolulumag.
