Variously referred to as “Black Velvet,” the “Black Pearl,” and “Creole Goddess,” Josephine Baker took the Paris stage by storm in the 1920’s with her sensual - yet accessible - appeal. In the course of her life, she received over 1,500 marriage proposals, as well as gifts of diamonds and cars.
Born Freda Josephine Carson in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 3, 1906 to washerwoman Carrie McDonald and vaudeville drummer Eddie Carson, her father abandoned her family shortly after she was born. Her mother then married a man named Arthur Martin, and the family eventually grew to include a son and two more daughters.
As a teenager, Josephine cleaned houses for wealthy white families, then got a job waiting tables. During her time at the restaurant she met and married, then quickly divorced, a man named Willie Baker. Eventually, she would marry and divorce another three times.
The beginnings of her performing career came when she was working with show groups doing comical skits. Rejected from chorus lines for being “too skinny and too dark,” she nevertheless learned the showgirls’ routines and became a replacement when a dancer left. She purposefully acted clumsy on stage in order to get the audience laughing, and became an instant hit.
Eventually, Josephine traveled to Paris and it became a turning point in her career. With her dance partner, Joe Alex, she danced uninhibitedly wearing nothing but a feather skirt. The routine was entitled "Danse Sauvage," and she became an overnight sensation.
In the more liberal and integrated Parisian society, Josephine became quite popular and was extremely well-paid. This afforded her the opportunity to indulge in extravagant clothing, houses and a menagerie of animals. After leaving La Revue Negre, she moved to the Follies-Bergere Theater. There, she continued to dazzle audiences with her dances and outrageous costumes – one of which included a costume constructed of bananas. At the time, she was one of the most photographed women in entertainment, and by the late 1920s she was the highest paid entertainer in Europe.
In the mid-30s, she attempted to take her act back to the United States, but the results were disastrous. American audiences were shocked and offended by her presentation. She returned to Europe dejected.
During WWII, Josephine entertained French troops, and worked undercover as a correspondent for the French Resistance. Later, she was awarded the Medal of Resistance with Rosette for her efforts.
In the 50s and 60s, she again visited the U.S. with hopes of fighting racism. When a popular New York supper club refused to serve her, she began a media battle against segregation. (The NAACP has named May 20 as Josephine Baker Day in honor of her efforts.)
She continued to travel the United States, and eventually met and secretly married an American artist named Robert Brady, who became her companion for the rest of her life. She also began adopting children from a variety of racial and religious backgrounds who she referred to as “The Rainbow Tribe.”
As the layers of prejudice began to peel away, Josephine once more took the stage – this time at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Nervous about the crowd’s reactions, she was so overcome at the standing ovation she received that she wept onstage. In 1975, she performed again in Paris in front of such celebrities as Princess Grace of Monaco and Sophia Loren. She was 68.
Days later, Josephine Baker died. Her funeral procession included a 21-gun salute from the French government, and 20,000 people in attendance. She is buried in Monaco.
Josephine Baker - The Banana Skirt
Le Grande Dame Josephine Baker
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