#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)

[70sgroovy]

josephine baker photographed by david redfern, 1974

[silver-screen-divas]

Josephine Baker

[fawnvelveteen]

Josephine Baker, 1933.

[gwydpolls]

Time Travel Question 67: Assorted Performances VI

These Questions are the result of suggestions from the previous iteration.

This category may include suggestions made too late to fall into the correct grouping.

Please add new suggestions below if you have them for future consideration.

[agelessphotography]

Josephine Baker, George Hoyningen-Huene, 1929

[vintage-every-day]

Josephine Baker, 1920s.

[omgthatdress]

Josephine Baker

[mudwerks]

Josephine Baker

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

[twixnmix]

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

Photos by Boris Lipnitzki

[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”; .

Support Making Queer History on Patreon

Send in a One-Time Donation

[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.”

| Instagram |

[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Josephine Baker, 1930s.

[vintage-queens2]

Josephine Baker, George Hoyningen-Huene, 1929

[irina-irina-irina]

Josephine Baker