Way before Beyoncé and Tina Turner, there was Josephine Baker, a St. Louis, Missouri born dancer, singer, actress, and all around entertainer.
Born Freda Josephine McDonald in 1906, Josephine caused a splash on the 1920′s Parisian scene, thanks to her enthusiastic dance moves and unparalleled beauty. She made her French debut at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées with La Revue Nègre, an act where she performed a Danse Sauvage dressed in nothing but a feather skirt. Her moves had magic in them–she was an overnight sensation and in 1927, she was the highest paid entertainer in Europe.
Her stage costumes and accoutrements were the things of legend: who else could pull off little more than a banana skirt, gold chains, and large Art Deco earrings?
See her perform her dance here:
The Créole Goddess (as she was dubbed) and her infamous banana costume were given tribute in Miuccia Prada‘s Spring/Summer 2011 fashion show. Models sported Josephine inspired slicked down marcel curl hairstyles, and were styled in pieces printed with bananas, black women, and interestingly, monkeys.
See Prada’s Spring/Summer 2011 campaign video here:
Josephine worked hard to separate herself from her on stage ‘savage’ persona by adorning herself in the finest threads. She spent most of her salary on clothes by Paul Poiret, Balenciaga, Chanel, and Dior, jewelry, Louis Vuitton luggage, and pets (she had a Cheetah named Chiquita, who had her own diamond encrusted collar).
Apparently Josephine loved nothing more than matching her outfits from top to toe.
Baker’s slicked down hairstyle and dark lips, along with her costumes, have provided inspiration to countless future entertainers and ‘it’ girls.
Print magazines have also offered ample tribute.
Beautiful and beloved, Josephine will continue to inspire style for generations to come.
Pat Cleveland, Juan Fernandez, Josephine Baker, and Donyale Luna ca 1970
Stay tuned for more of our favorite artists in our Black History Month series!
February 4, 2013 1:07 pm
Bravo! I live! Great post!
February 4, 2013 1:09 pm
they made her into the white man’s whore!
February 4, 2013 1:11 pm
Life restored.
February 4, 2013 1:13 pm
Nice post … Love this!
February 4, 2013 1:17 pm
Josephine Baker was gorgeous and talented. She definitely has left her mark in the fashion world.
February 4, 2013 1:32 pm
Cheers to FBD for this! =)
February 4, 2013 1:36 pm
I LIVE FOR MS. JOSEPHINE BAKER !!!
February 4, 2013 2:06 pm
Double fierce……..
February 4, 2013 2:41 pm
Proud to have the name Josephine! She was a pioneer!
despite some controversies here & there.
February 4, 2013 2:44 pm
Awesome post!!
February 4, 2013 2:59 pm
Well done! These post were a great idea!
February 4, 2013 3:13 pm
Josephine was the truth! She had that certain X factor you can’t define because she draws you in even in pictures.
February 4, 2013 3:35 pm
Love this post! Very inspiring.
February 4, 2013 3:43 pm
Thank you, Josephine The Queen was loved until her death. It should also be mentioned she worked for the French Resistance in WWII, an amazing woman.
February 4, 2013 3:52 pm
Love this post. Bravo
February 4, 2013 4:02 pm
I am so excited about this series!
February 4, 2013 4:18 pm
Thank you for this post @Claire.
We (African Americans) forget how rich and beautiful our culture is.
I still love black history month for all the information that comes to the forefront.
My family and I learn something new every year.
February 4, 2013 4:51 pm
Thank you. Loved.
February 4, 2013 6:47 pm
no wonder she bedded the gents AND the ladies…her GAZE was the EPITOME of sexual chocolate… *stamping foot* SEXUAL CHOCOLATE! ;-)
February 4, 2013 7:02 pm
i always love these posts come february, and this one was just as inspiring as the others. claire, i would love to see this series featured beyond february! maybe once a month? inspiration + knowledge!
February 4, 2013 7:15 pm
Ms. Baker would be proud
February 4, 2013 8:07 pm
Really enjoyed this post and all the wonderful photographs. Don’t forget that Josephine hair-with the fingerwaves came back hard in the late 80′s, early 90′s. And the length, still resonates today in Black womens’ style.
February 4, 2013 9:11 pm
i love josephine, but just look at that video and the message it shows if you really watch it with wisely. Shes a black girl in a jungle, dancing in a very animalesc way. Theres black men sitted there with very little clothes that remind me of slavery and dont forget the fact that they working while a white man walks next to them. What are they trying to portray? We have to be aware for the fact that sometimes the succes and talent of a black person was/is used as a tool to portray sometimes directly and other times in a subliminaly the bad vision or the feeling of superiority that some races have about the blacks. Ps: sorry for my bad english.
February 4, 2013 10:45 pm
j’adore
February 5, 2013 3:46 am
Where are these black women today. Why are all of our women hood rats, jump-offs and angry birds?????? Where are the classy, global minded women who are proud to be black? What happened?
February 5, 2013 9:31 am
Great post! Can’t wait to see the what’s in store for the rest of the month.
February 5, 2013 12:29 pm
YES! YES! YES! Josephine was truly a master. A woman well ahead of her time. Please continue these posts! @Bronze – Josephine was seen as terribly scandalous by many in her day too.
February 7, 2013 2:24 pm
Yesss! Loved this