Joséphine Baker: 50 years after her death, a tribute to the artist and activist
On the 50th anniversary of her passing, Artribune honors Joséphine Baker (Saint Louis, 1906 – Paris, 1975), a pioneer against racism and Nazism. Born Freda Josephine McDonald, she began her career as a maid at the age of eight and joined the Jones Family Band by 16. Baker became renowned for her banana skirt performance in Un Vent de Folie, captivating audiences in Berlin and Paris. She recorded hits such as J'ai deux amours and appeared in La Sirène des tropiques. During World War II, she contributed to Free France by gathering intelligence. In 1946, she was awarded the French Resistance Medal and received the Legion of Honour in 1961. Baker passed away on April 12, 1975, and was interred in Monaco with her honors, having raised 12 children known as her "Rainbow Tribe."
Key facts
- Joséphine Baker was born in 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri, and died in Paris in 1975.
- She witnessed a lynching in 1917 and began working as a maid at age eight.
- She performed in Shuffle Along and The Chocolate Dandies on Broadway.
- Karl Gustav Vollmoeller helped her get engagements in Berlin and Paris.
- Her banana skirt act at the Folies-Bergère became iconic.
- During WWII, she worked as a spy for Free France, hiding messages in her underwear and musical scores.
- She received the French Resistance Medal in 1946 and the Legion of Honour in 1961.
- She adopted 12 children of different nationalities, her 'Rainbow Tribe.'
Entities
Artists
- Joséphine Baker
- Freda Josephine McDonald
- Karl Gustav Vollmoeller
- José Leandro Andrade
- Giuseppe Abatino
- Paulette Nardal
- Henri Étiévant
- Mario Nalpas
- Joseph Goebbels
- Jacques Abtey
- Charles de Gaulle
- Martin Luther King
- Grace Kelly
- Mick Jagger
- Sophia Loren
- Liza Minnelli
- Joseph Jean Étienne Bouillon
- Niccolò Lucarelli
Institutions
- Artribune
- Jones Family Band
- Standard Theatre
- Broadway
- Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
- Folies-Bergère
- Ziegfeld Follies
- New York Times
- Free France
- Château des Milandes
- French Resistance
- Legion of Honour
- Red Cross
- Croce Rossa
- Principato di Monaco
- Nacional
- Uruguayan national football team
Locations
- Saint Louis
- St. Louis
- Missouri
- Chestnut Valley
- Philadelphia
- New York
- Berlin
- Paris
- France
- Austria
- Hungary
- Yugoslavia
- Romania
- Argentina
- Chile
- Uruguay
- Brazil
- Germany
- London
- Washington
- Monaco
- Roquebrune
- Costa Azzurra
- Bobino