Josephine Baker

Who Was Josephine Baker?

Josephine Baker, an iconic figure of the 20th century, rose from a background of poverty to achieve remarkable success as a performer. Her early years were marked by hardship, but her talent for dance soon propelled her to prominence on Broadway. In the 1920s, Baker relocated to France, where she quickly gained recognition as one of Europe’s most celebrated and highest-paid entertainers.

Baker’s contributions extended beyond the stage. During World War II, she supported the French Resistance, using her celebrity status to aid in the fight against fascism. In the 1950s and 1960s, she became an outspoken advocate for civil rights, dedicating herself to combating segregation and racism in the United States.

In 1973, Baker began a triumphant return to the stage, but her life was cut short when she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on April 12, 1975. Her passing was marked by a funeral with full military honors, reflecting the deep respect and admiration she garnered throughout her extraordinary career.

Early Life

Freda Josephine McDonald, known professionally as Josephine Baker, was born on June 3, 1906, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her mother, Carrie McDonald, a washerwoman, had relinquished her aspirations of becoming a music-hall dancer to raise her daughter. Josephine’s father, Eddie Carson, a vaudeville drummer, left Carrie and Josephine shortly after her birth. Carrie subsequently remarried and had several more children.

To support her expanding family, Josephine began working at the age of eight, performing domestic chores and babysitting for affluent white families, where she often faced poor treatment. She briefly returned to school but ran away from home at the age of thirteen. Josephine then found employment as a waitress at a nightclub, where she married Willie Wells; however, the marriage was short-lived, ending in divorce just weeks later.

Dancing in Paris

During this period, Josephine Baker began to explore dance, refining her abilities through performances in clubs and on the street. By 1919, she was touring the United States with the Jones Family Band and the Dixie Steppers, performing comedic skits. In 1921, she married Willie Baker, a name she retained throughout her life despite their eventual divorce. In 1923, Baker joined the chorus of the musical Shuffle Along, where her comedic flair quickly endeared her to audiences. Capitalizing on this success, Baker relocated to New York City, where she performed in Chocolate Dandies and, alongside Ethel Waters, in the floor show at the Plantation Club, gaining widespread popularity.

In 1925, amidst France’s fascination with American jazz and exotic performers, Baker traveled to Paris to appear in La Revue Nègre at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. She captivated French audiences with her performance of the Danse Sauvage, in which she wore only a feather skirt, alongside her dance partner Joe Alex. Beyond her entertainment career, Baker also championed racial equality, advocating for nondiscrimination clauses in her contracts and pushing for integrated audiences.

Baker and the Banana Skirt

In the following year, at the renowned Folies Bergère music hall—one of the most celebrated venues of the time—Josephine Baker’s career underwent a significant transformation. During a performance titled La Folie du Jour, Baker captivated audiences while adorned with nothing more than a skirt made of 16 bananas. The show was met with tremendous acclaim from Parisian audiences, propelling Baker to become one of Europe’s most popular and highest-paid performers. She garnered admiration from prominent cultural figures such as Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and E. E. Cummings, earning her the monikers “Black Venus” and “Black Pearl.” Additionally, she received over 1,000 marriage proposals.

Leveraging this newfound success, Baker ventured into professional singing for the first time in 1930. Subsequently, she secured film roles as a singer in Zou-Zou and Princesse Tam-Tam. The financial rewards from her performances enabled her to acquire an estate in Castelnaud-Fayrac, located in southwestern France. She named the estate Les Milandes and facilitated the relocation of her family from St. Louis to this new home.

Racism and the French Resistance

In 1936, buoyed by her success in France, Josephine Baker returned to the United States with hopes of establishing herself as a prominent performer in her home country by participating in the Ziegfeld Follies. However, she faced a largely hostile and racist reception, which led her to return to France, deeply disheartened by her experiences. Subsequently, Baker married French industrialist Jean Lion and acquired French citizenship, embracing the country that had welcomed her so warmly.

When World War II began later that year, Baker contributed significantly to the war effort. During the occupation of France, she worked with the Red Cross and supported the Free French forces by entertaining troops in Africa and the Middle East. Notably, Baker also played a crucial role in the French Resistance, using her unique position to smuggle covert messages hidden in her sheet music and even in her clothing. For her exceptional bravery and service, she was honored with the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honour with the rosette of the Resistance at the war’s end—two of France’s highest military distinctions.

Children

After the war, Baker predominantly resided at Les Milandes with her family. In 1947, she married French orchestra leader Jo Bouillon, and starting in 1950, she began adopting children from various countries. Ultimately, she adopted 12 children, forming what she termed her “rainbow tribe” and her “experiment in brotherhood.” Baker frequently hosted visitors at her estate to showcase her family and demonstrate that individuals of diverse racial backgrounds could coexist harmoniously.

Return to the U.S.: Civil Rights Advocate

During the 1950s, Josephine Baker made frequent returns to the United States to actively support the Civil Rights Movement. She participated in demonstrations and actively boycotted segregated clubs and concert venues. In 1963, Baker joined Martin Luther King Jr. in the March on Washington and was among the distinguished speakers of the day. In recognition of her contributions, the NAACP later designated May 20th as “Josephine Baker Day.”

Despite facing decades of rejection and enduring racism, Baker experienced a triumphant moment in 1973 when she performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Her return to the stage was met with a standing ovation, and she was so deeply moved by the warm reception that she wept openly before the audience. This performance was a significant success and symbolized Baker’s remarkable comeback.

Death

In April 1975, Josephine Baker took the stage at the Bobino Theater in Paris for a performance commemorating the 50th anniversary of her debut in the city. The event was attended by numerous dignitaries, including Sophia Loren and Princess Grace of Monaco, a close friend of Baker’s. Tragically, just days later, on April 12, 1975, Baker passed away in her sleep due to a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 68.

On the day of her funeral, over 20,000 people gathered in Paris to witness the procession. The French government paid tribute to Baker with a 21-gun salute, an honor that made her the first American woman to receive French military honors.