Baker, Josephine, 1906-1975

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Josephine Baker(1906-1975) was a dancer, singer, and civil rights activist. She performed in Paris, New York, Africa, and the Middle East, and was a crusader for racial equality. She was born Freda Josephine McDonald in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of Eddie Carson, a musician, and Carrie Macdonald. Her parents parted when Josephine was still an infant, and her mother married Arthur Martin, which has led to some confusion about her maiden name. Very llittle is known about her childhood, except that she was a witness to the East St. Louis riot in 1917. This event was often a feature of her talks in the 1950s and 1960s about racism and the fight for equality., which fostered the oft-repeated assertion that the family was resident in East St. Louis. Before the age of eighteen Josephine had been married twice, first to Willie Well and then to William Baker, to whom she was married in Camden, New Jersey, in September 1921.

World renowned performer, World War II spy, and activist are few of the titles used to describe Josephine Baker. One of the most successful African American performers in French history, Baker’s career illustrates the ways entertainers can use their platforms to change the world.

Her parents, both entertainers, performed throughout the segregated Midwest often bringing her on stage during their shows. Unfortunately, their careers never took off, forcing the young Baker to look for odd jobs to survive. If she was unable to find work she would often dance on the streets, collecting money from onlookers. Eventually, her routine caught the attention of an African American theatre troupe. At the age of 15, Baker ran off and began to perform with the group. She also married during this time, taking her husband’s last name and dropping her first name, becoming Josephine Baker. Baker flourished as a dancer in several Vaudeville shows, which was a popular theatre genre in the 20th century. She eventually moved to New York City and participated in the celebration of black life and art now known as the Harlem Renaissance.

A few years later her success took her to Paris. She became a citizen of France in 1937, Baker became one of the most sought-after performers due to her distinct dancing style and unique costumes. Although her audiences were mostly white, Baker’s performances followed African themes and style. In her famed show Danse Sauvage she danced across stage in a banana skirt. Baker was multitalented, known for her dancing and singing she even played in several successful major motion pictures released in Europe. When Adolf Hitler and the German army invaded France during World War II, Baker joined the fight against the Nazi regime. She aided French military officials by passing on secrets she heard while performing in front of the enemy. She transported the confidential information by writing with invisible ink on music sheets.

After many years of performing in Paris, Baker returned to the United States. Her return home forced Baker to confront segregation and discrimination that she had not experienced since she was a child in St. Louis. She often refused to perform to segregated audiences, which usually forced club owners to integrate for her shows. Her opposition against segregation and discrimination was recognized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1963, she was one of the few women allowed to speak at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Her speech detailed her life as a black woman in the United States and abroad: "You know, friends, that I do not lie to you when I tell you I have walked into the palaces of kings and queens and into the houses of presidents. And much more. But I could not walk into a hotel in America and get a cup of coffee, and that made me mad.” Baker continued to fight racial injustices into the 1970s. Her personal life was a testament to her political agenda. Throughout her career, she adopted 13 children from various countries. She called her family “the rainbow tribe” and took her children on the road in an effort to show that racial and cultural harmony could exist. Baker remained on stage late into her life and in 1975 she performed for the last time. The show was sold out and she received a standing ovation.

Josephine Baker achieved fame in Paris in the 1920s. In the 1950s, she sought to promote racial equality by adopting twelve children of various races and nationalities to create what she called a "rainbow family." Miki Sawada was the founder and director of the Elizabeth Sanders Home in Tokyo for ostracized mixed-race children fathered by U.S. servicemen with Japanese women. She and Baker had become friends in the 1930s in Paris, where her husband, Renzo Sawada, was stationed as a diplomat.

Henry Hurford Janes (known as Harry) was born in 1909 in Chelsea, England. Initially trained to be a private secretary, his penchant for writing was encouraged by the publication of his first article at the age of 20 which launched his career as a writer. In 1939, Janes joined the British Expeditionary Force as a private and was eventually promoted to be the personal assistant to the director of National Service Entertainment, Basil Dean. ENSA, the Entertainments National Service Association, which provided entertainment for British troops, similar to the American USO, took Janes to a number of battlefield locations.

He met Josephine Baker in 1943 in Algiers where, despite rumors about her demise, she was performing for Allied soldiers in Northern Africa. Janes began a long-lasting acquaintance with Miss Baker and began to negotiate for her to come to England for a performance for British troops. After two years of planning, the Gala Variety Concert featuring Baker and Noel Coward took place May 14, 1945 at the Cambridge Theatre in London.

After World War II, Janes took a position as secretary to a Member of Parliament, but soon left to pursue a full-time career as a freelance writer. He produced articles (for such publications as the Evening News ) and short stories as well as plays. His Lady Must Sell debuted in 1948, followed by Under the Skin in 1953 and various scripts for BBC and ITV. He married his wife, Peggy, in 1954.

During the following decades, he specialized in commissioned industrial biographies and booklets on historical events. His friendship with Josephine Baker resumed during the late 1960s when Miss Baker began to tour again after a period of semi-retirement. Baker christened Janes and his wife the English "godparents" of her 12 adopted children. The Janeses quickly began to fulfill these roles by hosting many of Baker's children during summer vacations in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The youngest child, Stellina, was in the care of Harry and Peggy Janes, attending a convent school, when Baker died in April, 1975. Harry Janes initially questioned who should have custody over the young girl he and his wife had grown fond of, but soon deferred to Stellina's adoptive father, Jo Bouillon.

In the early 1970s, Harry Janes had started to gather notes about Joephine Baker's life and his interactions with her in preparation for a biography. He wrote several short biographical sketches, but a complete book was never published.

Josephine Baker was born on June 6, 1906 in East St. Louis, Missouri. Around the age of 13, she began dancing as a chorus girl in an all-black revue that toured the United States. At 16, she landed a prominent role in Shuffle Along, the first black musical to play on Broadway. Her cross-eyed, comic performances along with her naturally graceful dancing caught the eye of a scout who was organizing a black revue to open in Paris.

Even before La Revue Nègre opened at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Parisians were entranced by the image of Josephine Baker on posters that advertised the show. Her "Dance of the Savages," a feral duet she performed wearing only a handful of pink feathers, caused an uproar that signaled the ascension of a new cabaret star in Paris. Baker was swept up in the adoration of the Lost Generation that inhabited the city. She posed for Picasso, was photographed by Man Ray, and was sculpted by Alexander Calder. She soon established residence in Paris and in 1926 starred in the Folies-Bergère, performing her famous banana dance. As her fame grew, Baker branched out into a wider realm of performance. She learned to sing and made the film La Sirène des Tropiques in 1927. More successful films, Zou-Zou and Princess Tam-Tam, followed in the 1930s.

The accounts of Baker's marriages before she achieved stardom are sketchy, at best. Her liaisons in Paris are more accurately chronicled. She was engaged to Pepito Abitano during the late 1920s and early 1930s when she toured Europe and eventually the United States. She was performing in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 when Abitano died. After her return to Paris, she married sugar broker Jean Lion. The marriage soon ended in divorce and Baker began to devote her energies to the war effort. In the 1940s, besides entertaining French troops, Baker did secret intelligence work for France, earning the rank of lieutenant in the Women's Auxiliary of the Free French Air Force.

Baker returned to the stage at the end of the war, touring with orchestra leader Jo Bouillon, who would become her husband in 1947. During this period of her life, Baker's stage career would become subordinate to her most intimate of projects, her family. Unable to bear children, she adopted a total of 12 children over a period of 12 years. This "Rainbow Tribe," as she called them, came from 9 different countries, most from impoverished backgrounds. The family lived at "Les Milandes," a country estate in the Dordogne in southern France that Josephine transformed into a center for tourism, complete with a cabaret and "Le Jorama," a museum of Josephine Baker memorabilia.

After her separation from Jo Bouillon in 1960, Baker's dream of a tranquil retirement began to fall apart. She grew increasingly in debt, eventually losing her beloved Milandes estate to creditors in 1967. She was rescued by her friend Princess Grace of Monaco, who offered a government property in nearby Roquebrune-Cap-Martin for Baker to raise her children. However, Baker needed to satisfy other debts, which led her back to the stage. The early 1970s saw a renewed interest in her performance and a personal revitalization for Baker. Her last great triumph was in early April 1975 when she appeared at the Bobino Theater in a 50-year retrospective of her career. It was here, in Paris, that she died on April 12, 1975, having suffered a cerebral hemorrhage after falling asleep in her bedroom, newspapers praising her comeback scattered around her.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Linda Lee Thomas Porter scrapbooks, 1913-1939. Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
referencedIn Ollie Stewart Papers, 1953-1977 Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University
referencedIn Gumby, L. S. Alexander, 1885-1961,. Alexander Gumby collection of Negroiana, [ca. 1800]-1981. Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
creatorOf Scotto, Vincent, 1876-1952. La Petite tonkinoise [Multimédia multisupport]. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn Van Vechten, Carl, 1880-1964. Carl Van Vechten collection, ca. 1920-ca. 1955; (bulk 1940-1949). Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University
referencedIn Toscanini, Walter, 1898-1971,. The Walter Toscanini Collection of research materials in dance: B. New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn Robert Baral papers, 1876-1980 The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.
referencedIn George Brinton Beal papers, circus collection, and other theatrical collections, 1862-1969. Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
referencedIn Lerner, Eugene, collector. The Josephine Baker collection, 1926-2001 Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
creatorOf Baker, Joséphine, 1906-1975. La petite tonkinoise [Multimédia multisupport]. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn Sherman Krellberg Papers, 1919-1989, (bulk 1931-1970) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Josephine Baker collection, [ca. 1935-ongoing]. Museum of Performance & Design
referencedIn Sigel, Madeleine Bartfeld, 1924-2020. Madeleine Bartfeld Sigel collection of autographs and performing arts memorabilia, 1899-2003 (majority 1930-2001) University of Maryland (College Park, Md.). Libraries
creatorOf Baker, Joséphine, 1906-1975. J'ai deux amours [Multimédia multisupport] / Joséphine Baker, chant... [et al.]. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn Johnson, Helen A. Helen Armstead-Johnson miscellaneous theater collections, 1831-1993. New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn Balanchine, George, 1904-1983. [Programs] New York Public Libraries for the Performing Arts, Dance Collection
creatorOf Wood and Adelaide Lawson Gaylor papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Winchell, Walter, 1897-1972. Walter Winchell papers, 1920-1967. New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn She's Nobody's Baby collection, 1980-1987 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Du Bois, Shirley Graham, 1896-1977. Papers, 1865-1998 (inclusive), 1905-1975 (bulk). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
creatorOf Rodell, Fred, 1907-1980. Fred Rodell papers, 1940-1980. Haverford College Library
creatorOf Baker, Josephine, 1906-1975. Josephine Baker papers, ca. 1930-1971. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
referencedIn Gumby, L. S. Alexander, 1885-1961,. Collection of Negroiana, [ca. 1800]-1981, [microform]. Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
referencedIn Josephine Baker information booklet, sheet music, and ephemera Houghton Library
referencedIn Nancy Adam Bequest of Theatrical Notebooks and Scrapbooks, 1867 - 1950s V & A Department of Theatre and Performance
referencedIn Theatre Arts Monthly, collection of portraits, ca., ca., 1924-1939 (bulk), 1916-1964 (inclusive). Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
referencedIn Walter Winchell papers, 1920-1967 The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.
creatorOf Van Parys, Georges, 1902-1971. C'est lui [Multimédia multisupport]. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
creatorOf Baker, Joséphine, 1906-1975. J'ai deux amours [Multimédia multisupport] / Joséphine Baker, chant... [et al.]. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn Baral, Robert. Robert Baral papers, 1876-1980. New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn Langston Hughes Collection, 1956-1960 University of Virginia. Library. Special Collections Dept.
referencedIn Charles Henry Alston Papers, 1930s-1990s (bulk 1930s-1970s) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection
creatorOf Baker, Joséphine, 1906-1975. Dis-moi Joséphine [Multimédia multisupport]. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
creatorOf Baker, Joséphine, 1906-1975. J'ai deux amours. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
creatorOf Baker, Josephine, 1906-1975. Josephine Baker photographs, ca. 1925-1975.
creatorOf Baker, Joséphine, 1906-1975. Voulez-vous de la canne à sucre ? Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn Robert Baral papers, 1876-1980 The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.
referencedIn Paul Robeson collection, 1925-1956, 1943-1956 Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Archives Section
referencedIn American Vaudeville Museum collection, 1845-2007, (bulk 1910-1940) University of Arizona Libraries, Library Special Collections
creatorOf Van Parys, Georges, 1902-1971. C'est lui [Multimédia multisupport]. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
creatorOf Baker, Joséphine, 1906-1975. Voulez-vous de la canne à sucre ? [Multimédia multisupport]. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn Hughes, Langston, 1902-1967. Letters to Mrs. Ina Steele [manuscript], 1956-1960. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Payne, Aaron H., 1901-1994. Aaron H. Payne papers, 1897-1986. University of Illinois at Chicago Library, UIC
creatorOf Vol. V. Dec. 1943-March 1950.ff. 1-229. Papers and correspondents include:American Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ AssociationAmerican tour, May 1945Canadian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association Medal of HonourCitation of Purple HeartFellowship Am... British Library
referencedIn Josephine Baker original watercolor, 1929.
referencedIn Hellman (Florence Marx) Theatrical Diaries Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
referencedIn Baker, Josephine : [miscellaneous ephemeral material]. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas J. Watson Library
referencedIn Fonds Louis Jouvet Bibliothèque nationale de France. Département des arts du spectacle
referencedIn Hughes, Langston, 1902-1967. Papers of Langston Hughes [manuscript], 1925-1982. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Sigel, Madeleine Bartfeld, 1924-2020. Madeleine Bartfeld Sigel collection of autographs and performing arts memorabilia, 1899-2003 (majority 1930-2001) University of Maryland (College Park, Md.). Libraries
referencedIn Nicolas Slonimsky Collection, 1873-1997, (bulk 1920-1990) Library of Congress. Music Division
referencedIn Ward Morehouse papers, 1877-1966, 1924-1966 The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.
referencedIn Miss Josephine Baker, popular stage performer, sings the National Anthem as the finale to the show held in the Municipal Theater, Oran, Algeria, N. Africa. The band is directed by T/Sgt. Frank W. Weiss, 5/17/1943 National Archives at College Park
creatorOf Baker, Joséphine, 1906-1975. On connait la chanson [Multimédia multisupport] / Joséphine Baker, Gaston Ouvrard, Jacques Dutronc... [et al.], chant. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
creatorOf Baker, Josephine, 1906-1975. Josephine Baker collection, 1933-1975. New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn Stewart, Ollie Anderson, 1906-1977. Ollie Anderson Stewart collection, 1942-1976. Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University
referencedIn Helen Armstead-Johnson miscellaneous theater collections, 1831-1993 Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Archives Section
creatorOf Scotto, Vincent, 1876-1952. J'ai deux amours [Multimédia multisupport]. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn Enrique Riverón papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Henry Hurford Janes-Josephine Baker collection, 1926-1986 Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
creatorOf Baker, Josephine, 1906-1975. Programs, ephemera and obituary of Josephine Baker, 1964-1991. New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn Ken Harper papers, 1972-1988 The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.
creatorOf Baker, Josephine, 1906-1975. Typewritten letter signed : Les Milandes, to Monsieur Tino Davini, 1965 Feb. 24. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn LETTERS, ETC., OF PRINCE DMITRY PETROVICH SVYATOPOLK-MIRSKY, lecturer at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies 1922-1932, to Miss Dorothy Galton, secretary to Sir Bernard Pares, Director of the School; 1929-1937. Mirsky was arrested in 193..., 1929-1937 British Library
creatorOf Baker, Joséphine, 1906-1975. La petite tonkinoise. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
creatorOf Josephine Baker papers, 1967-1975. Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
creatorOf Baker, Josephine, 1906-1975. Josephine Baker collection. Emory University. Special Collections and Archives
creatorOf Baker, Josephine, 1906-1975. Correspondence with Marian Anderson, 1949-1976. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Papers of Shirley Graham Du Bois, 1865-1998 (inclusive), 1905-1975 (bulk) Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
creatorOf Baker, Joséphine, 1906-1975. On connait la chanson [Multimédia multisupport] / Joséphine Baker, Gaston Ouvrard, Jacques Dutronc... [et al.], chant. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn George Balanchine archive, 1924-1989 (inclusive), 1961-1983 (bulk). Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
referencedIn Alexander Gumby Collection of Negroiana, [ca. 1800]-1981 Columbia University. Rare Book and Manuscript Library
referencedIn Records of the U.S. Information Agency. 1900 - 2003. Correspondence Files with Latin American United States Information Service Posts National Archives at College Park
creatorOf Baker, Joséphine, 1906-1975. Dis-moi Joséphine [Multimédia multisupport]. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Abatino, Pepito. person
associatedWith Adam, Nancy person
associatedWith Alston, Charles Henry, 1907-1977 person
associatedWith American Museum of Vaudeville corporateBody
childOf Baker, Jean-Claude. person
associatedWith Balanchine, George. person
associatedWith Baral, Robert person
associatedWith Baral, Robert. person
associatedWith Beal, George Brinton. person
spouseOf Bouillon, Jo, 1908- person
associatedWith Bouillon, Stellina. person
associatedWith Bouillon, Stellina. person
spouseOf Brady, Robert person
associatedWith Cocteau, Jean, 1899-1963. person
associatedWith Cullen, Frank, 1936- person
associatedWith Davini, Tino, person
associatedWith Dean, Basil. person
associatedWith Dean, Basil. person
associatedWith Du Bois, Shirley Graham, 1896-1977. person
associatedWith Entertainments National Service Association. corporateBody
associatedWith Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970 person
associatedWith Gaylor, Wood, 1883-1957. person
associatedWith Geoffrey Holder person
associatedWith Grace, Princess of Monaco, 1929-1982 person
associatedWith Gumby, L. S. Alexander, 1885-1961, person
associatedWith Hank Kaufman person
associatedWith Harper, Ken, d. 1988 person
associatedWith Harper, Ken, d. 1988 person
associatedWith Hellman, Florence Marx. person
associatedWith Hemingway, Ernest, 1899-1961 person
associatedWith Hughes, Langston, 1902-1967. person
associatedWith Jane Russell person
associatedWith Janes, Hurford. person
associatedWith Janes, Hurford, collector. person
associatedWith Janes, Hurford, collector. person
associatedWith Janes, Peggy. person
associatedWith Janes, Peggy. person
associatedWith Johnson, Helen A. person
associatedWith John Vinocur person
correspondedWith Jouvet, Louis (1887-1951) person
associatedWith Krellberg, Sherman, 1892-1979. person
associatedWith Lee, Gypsy Rose, 1914-1970 person
associatedWith Lerner, Eugene, collector. person
associatedWith Les amis des milandes. corporateBody
associatedWith Leyson-Cooney, Helen. person
associatedWith Leyson-Cooney, Helen. person
participantIn March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963 : Washington, D.C.) corporateBody
associatedWith Maria Beatrice, Princess of Savoy person
associatedWith McEnery, Reginald. person
associatedWith McEnery, Reginald. person
associatedWith McNeilly, Donald, 1945- person
associatedWith Morehouse, Ward, 1898-1966 person
associatedWith Morehouse, Ward, 1898-1966 person
associatedWith National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. corporateBody
associatedWith O'Connor, Kaori. person
associatedWith Payne, Aaron H., 1901-1994. person
associatedWith Picasso, Pablo, 1881-1973 person
associatedWith Porter, Linda Lee Thomas, compiler. person
associatedWith Riverón, Enrique. person
associatedWith Riverón, Enrique person
associatedWith Robert Brady. person
associatedWith Robert Pitts person
associatedWith Robeson, Paul, 1898-1976 person
associatedWith Sawada, Miki, 1901-1980. person
associatedWith SHIRLEY GRAHAM DU BOIS, 1896-1977 person
associatedWith Sigel, Madeleine Bartfeld, b. 1924. person
associatedWith Simenon, Georges, 1903-1989 person
associatedWith Slonimsky, Nicolas, 1894-1995 person
associatedWith Sorenson, Lars Harold. person
associatedWith Sorenson, Lars Harold. person
associatedWith Stewart, Ollie Anderson, 1906-1977. person
associatedWith Toscanini, Walter, 1898-1971, person
associatedWith Van Vechten, Carl, 1880-1964. person
associatedWith Vincent, Adza. person
associatedWith Vincent, Adza. person
associatedWith Wallace, Margarette. person
associatedWith Wallace, Margarette. person
correspondedWith Wallace, Margarette. person
associatedWith Winchell, Walter, 1897-1972. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Frances 05 AU
Paris A8 FR
Saint Louis MI US
United States 00 US
Subject
Singers
Adopted children
African American dancers
African American entertainers
African American singers
African American women entertainers
Authors, English
Dancers
Entertainers
Harlem Renaissance
Intercountry adoption
Music-halls (Variety-theaters, cabarets, etc.)
Orchestra
Occupation
Singers
Actors
Actresses
Authors
Dancers
Entertainers
Performer
Scrapbooks
Activity

Person

Birth 1906-06-03

Death 1975-04-12

French

English

Information

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