Written By Jillian Peprah-Frimpong
Pre-Professional, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Student, New York City Museum School

This post is the first in the "Joy Out of Fire" series on expressions of femininity reclaimed by 20th century Black women entertainers inspired by "Firelei Baez: Joy Out of Fire"  currently on display in the Latimer/Edison Gallery at the Schomburg Center. 

French entertainer Josephine Baker is best remembered for her trademarked wavy, jet black hair, kohl-lined eyes and alluring smile. But before garnering fame, Baker spent much of her time performing with her mother and father in the

bubbling town of St. Louis, dreaming of becoming an entertainer and joining a local vaudeville troupe.

Before rising to stardom and becoming the most successful American entertainer in France, Baker performed simple song and dance routines with her mother in her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri and made a living from street corner dancing as a teenager. At the age of 13, she joined the Dixie Steppers, a traveling group of vaudeville performers touring the United States, often playing small roles in comedic skits, becoming the comic relief for many of their shows. Initially, she was rejected from the group for being “too dark” and “too skinny” and was later denied when she offered to take on bigger roles. Her tour with the Dixie Steppers ended as their public demand declined. Baker also performed with the Jones Family Band, which got her an opportunity to be apart of the chorus in the all-black musical, Shuffle Along, on Broadway.

While in New York, Baker performed in Harlem theaters and the Plantation Club. Baker was an enchanting, sometimes spontaneous dancer and a wonder on stage. She owned herself on and off stage, confident and aware of herself, her movements and her tone. Despite this, she would soon come to realize that she would live in a cycle of poverty if she did not leave St. Louis. Fearing the frequency of racial violence, Baker left for Paris in 1925 and later exchanged her U.S. passport for French citizenship when she married Jean Lion in 1937.

Not shortly after arriving in Paris, Baker quickly began performing in Parisian theaters such as La Revue Negre, and moved on to dance at La Folie du Jour at Folies-Bergere theater. She was charismatic on stage and willing to please her audience with energetic dance routines and overly dramatic portrayals of colonial life that involved both the performer and the audience. Her costumes varied from two pieces and sinuous dresses to cultural garb in her later performances, but she was most confident in bearing it all on stage and using her body as an instrument to tell a story to her audience. Baker finally captured the international audience with her most popular routine “Danse Sauvage”, which featured rapid dancing and the notorious banana skirt, 16 bananas strung onto a skirt. This performance catapulted her career. After coming into contact with screenwriters and filmmakers, Baker became the first black woman to star in a major motion picture in Marc Allegret’s Zouzou.

Offstage, Baker proved that she was more than just an entertainer by occasionally commenting on prejudice and the racism that she faced as a black woman in the entertainment industry. She often received harsh criticism from American and international journalists for her raunchy performances. Replying to criticism during her speech at the March on Washington in 1963 she revealed that because of her willingness to both entertain and partake in activism, she was "a little devil in America, too.” Following her return to America, Baker refused to perform for segregated audiences and demanded equal treatment when she visited upscale venues across the country. When visiting the Stork Club in Manhattan, Baker made charges against the club for its racist tendencies and refusal to serve guests of color. After not receiving service she vowed never to return to the nightclub.

Furthering her activism, Baker began to adopt children of various ethnicities to form her family which she dubbed the “Rainbow Tribe,” emphasizing that children of all races and ethnicities could live in harmony. She also engaged closely with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), crusading and advocating for civil rights and racial equality for black people in America and eventually all over the world. Her work with the organization led to May 20, 1951 being declared “Josephine Baker Day.” Baker toured the world advocating for the equality of races in various countries, including South America. During the late 1950s, Baker penned a letter to Japanese journalist Sumio Matasuo, seeking financial aid for three civil rights associations, dedicated to representing “the future and the peace of the world” (listen below). Though Baker died in 1975, her legacy and influence in style, fashion and activism continues to shape those of women entertainers of all races and ethnicities today.

Listen to a letter from Civil Rights Activist, dancer, singer, and actress Josephine Baker to Japanese journalist Sumio Matasuo, recited by Aisha Diori, Special Events Manager at the Schomburg Center..

Learn more about Josephine Baker in the Joy Out of Fire exhibition on view in the Latimer/Edison gallery and through these items in the Schomburg Center’s collections:

• Josephine Baker television stills, Photographs and Prints Division
• Josephine Baker Scrapbook, Photographs and Prints Division (Digital Collections)
• Zouzou, Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division
• Live From the Reading Room-Josephine Baker Podcast by Alexsandra Mitchell