Josephine Baker
“The American who conquered Paris, then turned her fame toward justice and resistance.”
Arriving in Paris in 1925 to dance in 'La Revue Nègre,' the St. Louis-born performer electrified France with her 'danse sauvage.' At the Folies-Bergère her banana-skirt routine made her one of Europe's most celebrated stars almost overnight.
From St. Louis Poverty
Born Freda Josephine McDonald, she grew up poor in St. Louis and left school young. Vaudeville and Broadway chorus work led her to a life-changing trip to Paris in 1925.
Toast of Paris
Her 'danse sauvage' in 'La Revue Nègre' and her banana-skirt routine at the Folies-Bergère made her a sensation. She became a film star and the highest-paid entertainer in Europe.
Spy and Activist
During WWII she aided the French Resistance, earning the Croix de Guerre. She later refused segregated audiences and spoke at the 1963 March on Washington.
Career Timeline
- 1906Born Freda Josephine McDonald in St. Louis
- 1925Dances in 'La Revue Nègre' in Paris
- 1926Banana-skirt dance dazzles the Folies-Bergère
- 1934Stars in the film 'Zouzou'
- 1937Becomes a French citizen
- 1940Joins French Resistance during WWII
- 1961Awarded the Croix de Guerre and Legion of Honour
- 1963Speaks at the March on Washington
- 1975Dies in Paris days after a comeback show
- 2021Inducted into France's Panthéon
Biggest Hits
- As a Resistance agent she smuggled secret messages written in invisible ink on her sheet music.
- In 2021 she became the first Black woman interred in France's Panthéon.
The Moment You Remember
Onstage in Paris she dances with electrifying abandon, and a city falls instantly in love with a young woman who had left poverty an ocean away. That arrival, equal parts spectacle and triumph, announced one of the century's most extraordinary lives.
Portrait: Studio Harcourt · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons