10 questions · Society & Everyday
Josephine Baker is born into bitter poverty in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1906. In the racially segregated United States a Black woman has few chances; as a child she cleans houses, and early on she dances on small stages. In 1925 she makes the leap to Paris and the city is at her feet overnight. In the revue 'La Revue Nègre' she dances with irrepressible energy and becomes a celebrated star of 1920s Paris. Baker becomes the first world-famous Black entertainer. Her "banana skirt" becomes legendary, and her charm and humour conquer all of Europe. In France she finds the freedom and recognition denied to her in the United States: she becomes a French citizen and remains deeply attached to her adopted homeland all her life. During the Second World War, Baker shows extraordinary courage: she works for the French Resistance and intelligence services, smuggling secret messages (some hidden in sheet music) and using her fame as cover. For her efforts she is later awarded high French honours. After the war she campaigns fiercely against racism. She performs only before mixed audiences and, in 1963, speaks at the historic March on Washington alongside Martin Luther King. She adopts twelve children of different backgrounds, her "Rainbow Tribe", as a living symbol of understanding between peoples. In 2021 Josephine Baker becomes the first Black woman inducted into the Paris Panthéon: France's highest honour for its great figures.
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dancer and singer
She is regarded as the first world-famous Black entertainer.
💡 Did you know? Baker became the first Black global star of show business, thrilling 1920s Paris with her wild dances.
Paris
In 'La Revue Nègre' she became a celebrated star overnight.
💡 Did you know? In the US Baker had been confined to small roles as a Black woman: only in freer Paris did she become an overnight star.
banana skirt
In 1926 at the Folies Bergère Baker danced clad only in a skirt of artificial bananas: a scandal and a worldwide sensation at once.
💡 Did you know? Her performance in it is one of the most iconic images of the 1920s.
St. Louis, USA
In France she found the recognition denied her in racially segregated America; she became a French citizen.
💡 Did you know? Baker grew up in bitter poverty in St Louis and performed on the streets as a child.
resistance fighter / spy (Résistance)
In the Second World War, as a celebrated star, Baker smuggled secret messages for the French Resistance: some written in sheet music.
💡 Did you know? She sometimes hid secret messages in sheet music; her fame served as cover.
high French honours
Her courage made her a recognised heroine of her adopted country.
💡 Did you know? For her courage Baker received high French honours such as the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honour.
against racism (civil rights)
Baker fought racism, refused to perform before segregated audiences and spoke at the 1963 „March on Washington.“
💡 Did you know? She performed only before mixed audiences and adopted twelve children: her "Rainbow Tribe".
induction into the Panthéon
The Panthéon is France's highest honour for its great figures.
💡 Did you know? In 2021 Baker became the first Black woman admitted to the Paris Panthéon: one of France's highest honours.
Foto: Carl Van Vechten · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker (1906 to 1975) was an American-French dancer, singer and resistance fighter who made history as the first Black global star.
💡 Did you know? Baker adopted twelve children from around the world; her „rainbow tribe“ was meant to prove that people of every origin can live in peace.
1906
Born: 3 June 1906 in St. Louis, USA
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