Dorothy Wegman Raphaelson


Dorothy Deborah Wegman Raphaelson known professionally as Dorshka, was an American dancer, Ziegfeld Girl, vaudeville performer, and novelist.

Early life

Dorothy Deborah Wegman was raised in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. Her parents were immigrants from Eastern Europe. She had a sister Esther and a brother Daniel; their mother was Pasha Wegman, and their father was an engineer.

Career

Dorothy Wegman left high school to work full-time after her father's death. She worked for a clothing manufacturer while auditioning for stage roles. She danced in The Whirl of New York, Bombo, Topics of 1923, Big Boy, No Foolin', and Rio Rita. She left Rio Rita and retired from the stage when she eloped.
Raphaelson wrote two published novels: Glorified, based on her time as a dancer, and Morning Song, which was also autobiographical.

Personal life

Dorothy Wegman married writer Samson Raphaelson in late 1927. They had a son, Joel, and a daughter, Naomi. She was widowed when Samson Raphaelson died in 1983. She died in 2005, aged 100 years, in New York; at the time of her death, she was believed to be the second-to-last surviving Ziegfeld Girl. Her husband's papers, archived at the University of Illinois, includes a taped interview with Dorothy Wegman Raphaelson.