Agneta Frieberg

Agneta Marianne Frieberg (2 June 1945 – 10 May 1971) was a Swedish fashion model and activist. She was known for her extensive pictorial and commercial work throughout the 1960s, resulting in a decade-long career under the Ford Modeling agnecy.

Born and raised in Sweden, Frieberg migrated to California with her family in the 1950s. In 1960, Frieberg had been discovered by Eileen Ford in New York City, resulting in an international deal with Ford Models shortly after, at age 15. Frieberg appeared on over 100 covers for publications including Vogue, ELLE, Mademoiselle and Glamour, among others. Having previously modeled for Catalina Swimwear and Revlon advertisements, Frieberg was also known for her partnership with Clairol, as the face of their Great Body line (1967–73). Frieberg was less active by the late-1960s, focusing on the anti-war movement and civil rights activism instead.

In May 1971, Frieberg fell from the top story of a hotel in Paris, France, on Mother's Day. She was rushed to the American Hospital of Paris, where she remained for 4 days before dying of falling-invoked injuries. Her death was subject to widespread media coverage throughout Europe and the US, as well as resulting in controversy due to conspiracies over her cause of death.

In her lifetime, Frieberg's success lead to her receiving the third highest salary of a fashion model in her era, behind Twiggy and Veruschka. She was further recognized as "one of the first supermodels" by publications including Glamour. Frieberg was often characterized by her signature waist-length hair and "girl next door" appeal.

Life and career

Frieberg was born on 2 June 1945 in Sweden. While in her teenage years, Agneta and her family moved from Sweden to Marin County, California, United States. Frieberg's mother, Cecilia Frieberg, was a Montessori school teacher and her father, Bengt O. Frieberg, was a businessman and inventor.^[2] Agneta was the oldest of four children.

Frieberg in Bridgehampton, NY, summer of 1969

In 1959, Frieberg and her parents along with brother, Magnus, and sister, Marianne, moved to California from their native country Sweden. They took a vacation the following year to New York City. While walking around New York, Frieberg caught the attention of Ford Models owner and modeling agent Eileen Ford. Ford quickly approached Frieberg, and discussed signing Frieberg to her agency. Frieberg was granted permission from her parents and was able to sign to Ford soon after. Her career started shortly after she went home.

Frieberg dated painter Jack Youngerman for several years.

In the mid-1960s, Frieberg appeared on the bottle of Clairol's hair product "Great Body". Frieberg also appeared in several advertisements, commercials, and merchandise for the Great Body conditioner. In February 1966, in an issue of the magazine Glamour, the editors described Frieberg along with nineteen other models as a "supermodel", also adding that Frieberg was "innocent, tall, and fresh."^[3][4][5] That same year, Frieberg was the cover model for Glamour's Beauty Book. Later in 1966, she appeared in the famous Ormond Gigli photo of the sixties' top Ford models.^[6][7] In 1968, Frieberg was featured in her agent and Ford Models founder Eileen Ford's first book, Eileen Ford's Book of Model Beauty. She appeared on an episode of the television show The Man from U.N.C.L.E..

Frieberg briefly appeared in her boyfriend Louis Faurer's documentary Time Capsule, which captured Time Square and other parts of New York City over a span of several years. The film was recently rediscovered after being lost in Faurer's archives. The film was aired in a show at Milwaukee Museum in New York City.^[8]

Frieberg briefly dated pop art artist Andy Warhol, who made her the subject of several of his photographs.^[9] She also briefly dated rock musician and guitarist Jimi Hendrix from rock band The Jimi Hendrix Experience.^[10]

Frieberg has appeared on the cover of magazines including Glamour (July 1964, March and June 1965, and December 1967), Mademoiselle (April, May, July, September, and December 1964, May and February 1967, May 1968, and October 1969), McCall's (January 1963), Good Housekeeping (April and September 1965 and February 1967), HairDo (May 1965), Ingenue (August 1965), RedBook (February 1966), and Elle (April 1966).

The American Hospital of Paris

In 1971, at the young age of twenty-five, Frieberg died in Paris, France. She was staying in a hotel on the top floor, when she fell out of the window. She lingered in a coma at the American Hospital of Paris for ten days until eventually dying on 10 May 1971, which happened to be Mother's Day.^[11] There was speculation that Frieberg had been pushed instead of falling. The autopsy showed that Frieberg had no drugs or alcohol in her system at the time of her death. American author Michael Gross wrote false claims about Frieberg in his book Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women, where he referred to her as a German model who died while on drugs.

Personal life

Frieberg commuted between California and New York. She maintained close friendships with fellow Ford model Ulla Jones, actresses Jane Fonda and Delphine Seyrig, and model Cheryl Tiegs. In Frieberg's spare time, she sang and played guitar and piano. She was a frequent reader, reading between shots, her favourite author being American author and journalist Ernest Hemingway.

References