#Josephine Baker

[twixnmix]

Josephine Baker photographed by Jack Garofalo in her dressing room at the Monte-Carlo Sporting Club in Monaco, 1974.

[littlehorrorshop]

Zouzou (1934)

[agelessphotography]

Josephine Baker, George Hoyningen-Huene, 1929

[omgthatdress]

Josephine Baker

[mudwerks]

Josephine Baker

French postcard. Photo: Roger Viollet. Caption: Josephine Baker (1906-1975) American music-hall artist, May 1926.

[fawnvelveteen]

Josephine Baker, 1933.

[makingqueerhistory]

Thought to be one of the most photographed women of her time, Josephine Baker was a renowned dancer, a singer, a mother, spy, and bisexual Black woman. While there are still people who resist the category of queer for Josephine Baker, with some help from her son, historian Jean-Claude Baker, the truth is clear. Born on June 3, 1906, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Baker’s life was never without its share of obstacles. However, an entertainer, an activist, a military woman, and a mother, Josephine Baker wasn’t familiar with the word “stop”; .

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[fancyhdraws]

Inspired by that time singer, dancer, actress and black cultural icon Josephine Baker was sailing across the Atlantic on the SS Normandie to take part in the Ziegfeld Follies Broadway musical revue. She heard her equally famous friend, Billie Burke, was on the ship as well, who was not only Ziegfeld’s widow but also a popular actress - you'd probably know her as Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz. Josephine invited her to dinner and Billie was said to have agreed.

Josephine entered the first-class dining room in a gown by Erté, causing the room to burst into a standing ovation. Billie arrived shortly after, her entrance gaining an even warmer reception than that of Josephine's. But when she approached Josephine's table, Billie gave her nothing more than a look of distaste and coldly passed her by. But Josephine appeared unbothered and finished her dinner alone. Afterwards, she climbed the grand staircase and caused the audience to once again erupt into another standing ovation as she flashed them a dazzling smile, allegedly saying, “I assume she belongs to the black-hating race.”

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[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Josephine Baker, 1930s.

[twixnmix]

Josephine Baker in her dressing room at the Casino de Paris in Paris, 1931.

Photos by Boris Lipnitzki

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Anna May Wong (The Thief of Bagdad, Shanghai Express)—Wong was the first Chinese American movie star, arguably the first Asian woman to make it big in American films. Though the racism of the time often forced her into stereotypical roles, awarded Asian leading roles to white actors in yellowface, and prohibited on-screen romance between actors of different races, she delivered powerful and memorable performances. When Hollywood bigotry got to be too much, she made movies in Europe. Wong was intellectually curious, a fashion icon, and a strong advocate for authentic Asian representation in cinema. And, notably for the purposes of this tournament, absolutely gorgeous.

Josephine Baker (The Siren of the Tropics, ZouZou)— Josephine Baker was an American born actress, singer, and utter icon of the period, creating the 1920s banana skirt look. She was the first black woman to star in a major motion film. She fought in the French resistance in WWII, given a Legion of Honour, as well as refusing to perform in segregated theatres in the US. She was bisexual, a fighter, and overall an absolutely incredible woman as well as being extremely attractive.

This is round 6 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Anna May Wong propaganda:

"She so so gorgeous!! Due to Hollywood racism she was pretty limited in the roles she got to play but even despite that she’s so captivating and deserves to be known as a leading lady in her own right!! When she’s on screen in Shanghai Express I can’t look away, which is saying something because Marlene Dietrich is also in that film."

"SHE IS ON THE BACK OF QUARTERS also she was very smart and able to speak multiple languages and is a fashion icon on top of the acting/singing"

"Paved the way for Asian American actresses AND TOTAL HOTTIE!!! She broke boundaries and made it her mission to smash stereotypes of Asian women in western film (at the time, they were either protrayed them as delicate and demure or scheming and evil). In 1951, she made history with her television show The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong, the first-ever U.S. television show starring an Asian-American series lead (paraphrased from Wikipedia). Also, never married and rumor has it that she had an affair with Marlene Dietrich. We love a Controversial Queen!"

"She's got that Silent Era smoulder™ that I think transcends the very stereotypical roles in which she was typically cast. Also looks very hot smouldering opposite Marlene Dietrich in "Shanghai Express"; there's kiss energy there."

"Hot as hell and chronically overlooked in her time, she's truly phenomenal and absolutely stunning"

"A story of stardom unavoidably marred by Hollywood racism; Wong's early-career hype was significantly derailed by the higher-up's reluctance to have an Asian lead, and things only got worse when the Hayes code came down and she suddenly *couldn't* be shown kissing a white man--even if that white man was in yellowface. After being shoved into the Dragon Lady role one too many times, she took her career to other continents for many years. Still, she came back to America eventually, being more selective in her roles, speaking out against Asian stereotypes, and in the midst of all of this finding the time to be awarded both the title of "World's Best Dressed Woman" by Mayfair Mannequin Society of New York and an honorary doctorate by Peking University."

"Incredible beauty, incredible actress, incredible story."

"-flapper fashion ICON. look up her fits please <3 -rumors of lesbianism due to her Close Friendships with marlene dietrich & cecil cunningham, among others -leveraged her star power to criticize the racist depictions of Chinese and Asian characters in Hollywood, as well as raise money and popular support for China & Chinese refugees in the 1930s and 40s. -face card REFUSED to decline"

Josephine Baker:

Black, American-born, French dancer and singer. Phenomenal sensation, took music-halls by storm. Famous in the silent film era.

Let's talk La Revue Negre, Shuffle Along. The iconique banana outfit? But also getting a Croix de Guerre and full military honors at burial in Paris due to working with the Resistance.

She exuded sex, was a beautiful dancer, vivacious, and her silliness and humor added to her attractiveness. She looked just as good in drag too.

So I know she was more famous for other stuff than movies and her movies weren’t Hollywood but my first exposure to her was in her films so I’ve always thought of her as a film actress first and foremost. Also she was the first black woman to star in a major motion picture so I think that warrants an entry

Iconic! Just look up anything about her life. She was a fascinating woman.

[vintage-every-day]

Josephine Baker, 1920s.

[citizenscreen]

Josephine Baker in Harlem, 1950.

Photo by Eve Arnold

[queerasfact]

Happy birthday Josephine Baker!

Josephine Baker was born on 3 June 1906 in St. Louis, USA. She's known best for her career as a dancer, singer and actress. In 1925, she emigrated to France and took Paris by storm with her comic, energetic and provocative dancing - sometimes wearing nothing but a single ostrich feather on stage.

But there’s also another side to Josephine - during WWII, she was a spy for the French resistance, sneaking important information out of the country written on her sheet music in invisible ink, or pinned to her underwear.

She was also a life-member of the NAACP, travelling around the USA to campaign for civil rights, and speaking at the 1963 March on Washington.

Josephine was bisexual, having four husbands (or five, depending on how you’re counting) and many female lovers. She continued to perform up until her death in 1975.

Learn more

[davidhudson]

Josephine Baker, June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975.

1929 photo by George Hoyningen-Huene.

[littlehorrorshop]

Josephine Baker in Zouzou (1934)