People, Oct. 27, 1975

Snapping crocodiles in a game preserve in northern Kenya, Photographer Peter Beard, 37, eyed a 5-ft. 10-in. Somali tribeswoman with the face and bearing of Egypt's classic Queen Nefertiti. "She was the most beautiful African I had ever seen," says Beard. "And in Africa, you learn to snag things when you see them." So Beard quickly snagged the tribeswoman—known as Iman —away from her chores tending the family's 500 cattle and sheep. He took lots of photographs and persuaded the Wilhelmina Model Agency in New York to sign her up. Iman, 20, who...