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Josephine Baker There are very few black actresses from the early 1900s that are well known and actually appealed to audiences of various races and colour, but Josephine Baker made an impression that was to last 50 years. Her nickname was Black Venus, but Josephine was born Freda Josephine MacDonald on June 3rd 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri in the United States. Her parents were Carrie MacDonald, a washerwoman, and Eddie Carson, a drummer in the local band. Josephine had 3 younger half-siblings and her mother struggled to support her children on her meagre wages, so at the age of 8, Josephine started working as a maid in white homes. Starting her working life so young meant she grew up quickly and by the age of 14, she had left home, been married and separated from the 1st of her 5 husbands and begun work with a travelling vaudeville troupe. She took the name Baker from her 2nd husband, Willie Baker, who she married in 1920. Josephine's 1st break came when she performed in 'Shuffle Along', the 1st black musical on Broadway, in 1921. She was given the role of the comic at the end of the chorus line acting as though she couldn't remember the moves. 4 years later, she was offered an opportunity to go to Paris to perform in 'La Revue Nègre'. She had a finale in the show called 'La Danse de Sauvage' in which she danced the Charleston wearing only a girdle of feathers. Josephine became an overnight sensation as she was classed as exotic and provocative embodying black women's sexuality. Many similar roles followed on stage and screen and all had the common trait of nudity, but Josephine also introduced innovative techniques and jazz inspired African American dance styles to European audiences. During the 1930's, Josephine also recorded songs for Columbia Records. Josephine's personal lifestyle was as unique and exotic as her performances and she was often seen walking along Paris streets with her leopard Chiquita. She also had a plethora of animals including dogs, monkeys, snakes, rabbits, a turkey and a pig. Most people are familiar with designer fashion labels and Christian Dior designed all of Josephine's clothes. She had admirers ranging from Ernest Hemingway to Pablo Picasso. She was also known for her many lovers, both male and female. During this time, Josephine still hadn't captured the hearts of her fellow Americans and although she travelled back to America to perform with the Ziegfeld Follies in 1936, America still remained unmoved by her. She returned to Paris in 1937 and legally became a French citizen after marrying her 3rd husband, French sugar broker, Jean Lion. She served in World War II for her new country doing intelligence liaison and was an ambulance driver for the French Resistance. She was awarded the Medal of the Resistance and the Legion of Honour. After the war, Josephine once more toured America and this time she got respect and praise from fellow African Americans for her support of the Civil Rights Movement. She refused to perform for segregated audiences and would not stay in segregated hotels during a 1951 tour. As a result of this, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) named her its Most Outstanding Woman of the Year. She married her 4th husband, Jo Bouillon, an orchestra leader in 1947. In 1963, Josephine participated in the march on Washington and gave a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall for the NAACP, the SNCC (Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee) and the CORE (Congress of Racial Equality). Back on the personal front, Josephine had gone through an emergency hysterectomy in 1942 after the birth of a stillborn child. As she couldn't have biological children, she adopted 10 sons and 2 daughters during 1954 and 1965. All the children were of various races and nationalities and she called her family the Rainbow Tribe. Josephine wanted to retire from show business and raise her children at her French chateau, Les Milandes, but she fell deep in debt when her savings could no longer support the family. Her house was seized in 1969, but Princess Grace of Monaco gave her a smaller villa where the family moved. The last 5 years of Josephine's life were a mixture of begging on the streets for her children unrecognisable with no wig, costume and free of makeup. Her health started to decline and she suffered 2 heart attacks and a stroke. However, she still continued to perform and during a 1973 tour of America, she received widespread acclaim as well as some condemnation for her non-support of the Black Power Movement. She saw them as too separatist. In 1974, Josephine starred in a Monaco production of a show entitled 'Josephine' based on her life. A year later, she married her 5th husband, Robert Brady, an American artist and the show came to Paris in April 1975 marking the 50th year of her arrival in Paris. There was a huge gala on April the 8th to mark the show's opening night and also to celebrate the anniversary. Sadly, 4 days later on April 12th, Josephine suffered a cerebral haemorrhage during a nap and died. Twenty thousand people attended her funeral. Josephine Baker had a rocky start to her life and suffered a number of setbacks such as the hysterectomy, but she never let any of that dissuade her from her path. She sought fame and she got it. She wanted a family and although she couldn't have children physically, she adopted some. How many people would go so far as to beg to feed their children whilst still being in the public eye? Although many people try to downplay Josephine Baker regarding her nudity in performances, she did have a certain style and flair for performing. She overcame barriers of colour and race and was loved by black and white alike. She ended her life on a happy note knowing the show about her life was a success and at the age of 79, she was in love and had just married again. Josephine definitely led a full life! Sources: http://www.africana.com/Articles/tt_036.htm http://www.cmgww.com/stars/baker/index.html |
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