Josephine Baker

[FemmeFeline]

What an incredible and inspirational woman!
She is far more worthy of celebrity status than anyone in Hollywood today...

 

[Luxury's Lap]

Brace yourselves!! I have found over 200 new photos!! I'll try and post in chronological order over the next few days...

One night Caroline Dudley, a wealthy black producer, visited the club in an effort to recruit singer Ethel Waters, who was featured there, for La Revue Negre, a black revue Dudley wanted to take to Paris. But Waters declined, so Dudley took Baker instead. She had admired Baker in Shuffle Along. For the new group that Dudley was organizing, Baker wanted to sing, but Dudley wanted her as a comic. After persuading Dudley to raise her weekly salary from $125 to $200 (a considerable sum in 1925) Baker agreed. The troupe set sail for France on September 22. La Revue Negre opened at the Theatre des Champs Elysees in Paris (on October 2nd, 1925) and was received with enthusiasm. French audiences' fascination with black culture was apparently based on dubious impressions (Baker remarked that "the white imagination sure is something when it comes to blacks") and La Revue Negre catered to that fascination with exaggerated stereotypes. When the theater owners decided that something exotic needed to be added to the tap dancing and blues singing, they hit on the idea of a more "authentic" dance and called it the "Danse Sauvage" (the Savage Dance). Baker was featured in the "Danse Sauvage" with a male partner, Joe Alex. Their costumes consisted of feathers and not much else; Baker wore only a feather skirt. She became an overnight sensation.

Photo of Baker and Joe Alex in their "Danse Sauvage" costumes (so basically the photo of what started her success). Also posting the first poster that was made for this show...Josephine posed for the artist Paul Colin for this poster.

(photo: cobis, dickinson.edu; text: art-deco-prints-and-posters.com)

 

[Luxury's Lap]

So her first show was in early October 1925, but she was already posing for lots of photos, as these are also from 1925.

(getty)

 

[Luxury's Lap]

More from 1925...

(getty; corbis)

 

[Luxury's Lap]

By the fall of 1926 ''there were Josephine Baker dolls, costumes, perfumes, pomades.''

Photos from 1926: Dressed: costume for a comedy skit; Nude: more posing for artist Paul Colin.

(getty; corbis)

 

[Luxury's Lap]

1927...

(getty)

 

[Luxury's Lap]

I had stated earlier that she was married four times (probably got this off of imdb). But it turns out she was married either five (from imdb) or six (from wikipedia) times.

Foundry worker Willie Wells (1919, divorced) (Not on imdb)
Pullman porter William Howard Baker (1921, divorced)
Giuseppe Pepito Abatino (1926, publicity stunt, not legally binding)
French sugar magnate Jean Lion (1937-1940, divorced)
French orchestra leader Jo Bouillon (1947, separated 1957, eventually divorced)
American artist Robert Brady (married 1973, also not legally binding, separated 1974).

Pictured in 1927 with third husband Giuseppe Pepito Abatino.

(corbis)

 

[Luxury's Lap]

1928...

(corbis, getty)

 

[Luxury's Lap]

Original caption from January 23rd, 1928--Paris, France: Photo shows Josephine Baker, the dark star of the Follies Bergere, as directrice of her own bar, or caberet. She seems to be "all business".

(corbis)

 

[Luxury's Lap]

From 1929...I love the one where she's performing underneath a giant drawing of herself.

(getty)

 

[Luxury's Lap]

Undated photos, but probably from the late 1920s, early 1930s...

(corbis)

 

[Spike413]

She was such a free spirit.

Actually, it's weird that I came across this thread because over the weekend on Fashion Rocks, Beyonce paid tribute too (ripped off) Josephine's banana dance.

 

[Luxury's Lap]

1930...

(corbis, getty)

 

[Luxury's Lap]

She was such a free spirit.

Actually, it's weird that I came across this thread because over the weekend on Fashion Rocks, Beyonce paid tribute too (ripped off) Josephine's banana dance.

I saw this photo on perezhilton.com, but I didn't want to resurrect the thread just for that (and then I came upon getty and corbis and all was right with the world). lol: Perez has been posting a lot of photos of people Beyonce was "inspired by"/ripped off.)

 

[Luxury's Lap]

Back to a true original....

Walking her pet leopard Chiquita in 1931 in Paris in a fantastic outfit...what's not to love?

(corbis; getty)

 

[Luxury's Lap]

More from 1931...

(corbis)

 

[Luxury's Lap]

Candids from 1933....

Love both of these: One looks to be in a hotel room after a show, holding a kitten and smiling for a friend's camera (for some reason this shot seems modern to me ). The other - the cute hat, the fantastic bangles, the tres chic outfit - Oo la la!

(corbis)

 

[Luxury's Lap]

Shots from her 1934 movie Zouzou...also attaching the poster from this movie (note that she gets top billing).

(corbis; vintage.artehouse.com)

 

[Luxury's Lap]

More from 1934...

(getty)

 

[Luxury's Lap]

From 1935...I believe these were taken at the home of the photographer.

(getty)