Freda McDonald

Carrie McDonald a washerwoman and vaudeville drummer Eddie Carson bought Freda

Josephine McDonald into the world June 3, 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri. shortly afterward Eddie abandoned them and Carrie married again and from this new marriage, added a son and two more daughters. Josephine had cleaned houses and babysat for wealthy white families who reminded her "be sure not to kiss the baby."

JOSEPHINE AS A BABY

Romance With Josephine Baker

Josephine never depended on a man for financial support; she got a job waitressing at The Old Chauffeur's Club when she was 13 years old. During being a waitress she met and had a brief marriage to Willie Wells. Josephine took her name from Willie Baker whom she married and divorced three times in 1921. She attained French citizenship when she married Frenchman Jean Lion in 1937. In 1947 she married the man who helped her raise 12 adopted children , French orchestra leader Jo Bouillon. Over the course of her career she received approximately 1,500 marriage proposals.

OFF TO FRANCE

La Revue Nègre prove to be a smart business move and the turning point of Josephine Baker's career. In La Revue Nègre Josephine and her partner Joe Alex showcased new and exotic acts. In these exotic act Josephine captivated the audience with her bold and provocative attire. She wore nothing but a feather skirt which was very new to the audience. Josephine was an instant star. The money she made allowed her to live munificently. Most of her money went to clothes, jewelry and especially pets which she really loved. At one time she owned a leopard (Chiquita), a chimpanzee (Ethel), a pig (Albert), a snake (Kiki), a goat, a parrot, parakeets, fish, three cats and seven dogs. Josephine's career took off in the culture of Paris; When She starred in La Folie du Jour at the Follies-Bergère Theater she showed off her iconic six-teen banana skirt. By 1927 Josephine had earned more than any entertainer in Europe and competing with Gloria Swanson and Mary Pickford as the most photographed woman in the world. She received much adulation from her European fans; they gave her cars, diamonds and they dubbed her the “Black Pearl”, “Black Venus”, and “Creole Goddess”.

1920's and beyond...ce?

Beyonce a world famous singer pays homage to Icon Josephine baker by dressing in Miss Bakers famous banana skirt and performing similar to Josephine in La Revue Negre.

Her famous banana skirt

 1930’s(Back home)

She starred in Zou-Zou and Princess Tam-Tam

She moved her family from St. Louis to Les Milandes, her estate in Castelnaud-Fayrac, France. In 1936 Josephine move to the united states to star in a movie but in ended up a disastrous. Americans could not fathom the idea of a black woman with so much sophistication and power. The American media did not take well to this either, The New York Times called her a "Negro wench". 

The Rainbow Tribe

Josephine wanted show the world children of different races and religion could still live together peacefully. So she adopted twelve children of different nationalities and religions to do so. Josephine would travel with them so people could see that they were happy to be around each other. She traveled around the US and after divorcing her fourth husband Jo bouillon her close friendship with American artist Robert Brady led them to a false marriage. They took a trip to Acapulco, Mexico to exchange marriage vows with no clergy present so legally they were never married.

WWII

Josephine Performed the troops, she worked to put secret messages on her music sheets as a honorable correspondent for the French Resistance and she was also a sub-lieutenant in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. As a sign of approbation she was given the Medal of the Resistance with Rosette and name a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by the French government for supporting the troops.

During the 1950’s and 1960’s Josephine Visited the United States to be apart of the civil rights movement. The Stork Club refused her service and Josephine decided to fight back through the media with pro-segregation columnist Walter Winchell. The NAACP(The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People named May 20^th Josephine Baker Day.

Last Performance

On April 8,1975 Josephine performed at the Bobino Theater in Paris. The review were great. Four days later she went into a coma and she died from a cerebral hemorrhage at 5 a.m. on April 12. At Josephine’s funeral there were more than 20,000 people crowding the streets of Paris to watch the funeral on its way to the Church of the Madeleine. She was honored with a 21-gun salute by the French army. She was the first American female to be buried in France with military honors. Her burial site is in Cimetiére de Monaco, Monaco. Lynn Whitfield starred in The Josephine Baker Story. The film won two Emmys and one of three Golden Globe nominations.