Born to Carrie McDonald, a laundress, and Eddie Carson, a musician, Josephine's early life hinted at her future career. She first danced for the public on the streets of St. Louis for nickels and dimes. Later, she became a chorus girl on the St. Louis stage. At 15, she married a Pullman porter named Baker, but left him when she ran away from St. Louis at age 17, feeling there was too much racial discrimination in the city. Her first job in Paris was in La revue negre. Her next significant job was at the Folies bergere, where she was a member of their all-black revue. It was at the Folies bergere, in 1925, that she first performed her famous banana dance. She quickly became a favorite of the French, and her fame grew. She had many ups and downs during her career. Although popular in France, during the McCarthy era she was told that she was no longer welcome in the United States. In 1937 she renounced her American citizenship and became a citizen of France. In 1961, she was awarded the Legion of Honor, France's highest honor. In the late 1960's, she began having financial difficulties, and stopped performing in 1968. Princess Grace offered her a home in Monaco when she learned of Josephine's financial problems. At the request of Princess Grace, she performed at Monaco's summer ball in 1974, and was a great success. That same year, she staged a week of performances in New York and called the show 'An Evening with Josephine Baker.' She had just begun a Paris revue celebrating her half-century on the stage, when on April 10 she was stricken and went into a coma. She died without regaining consciousness. Her funeral was held in Paris, and she was buried in Monaco.



Refused to perform in clubs that practiced racial segregation. During World War II, she worked as a spy for the French resistance. She adopted 12 children, partly because she couldn't have any of her own and partly because she believed in equality for all, no matter what nationality, religion or race they were of. They were called "the Rainbow Children" and their names were: Aiko (Korea), Luis (Colombia), Janot (Japan), Jari (Finland), Jean-Claude (Canada), Moses (French), Marianne (France), Noel (France), Brahim (Arab), Mara (Venezuela), Koffi (the Ivory-Coast), Stellina (Morocco). Janet Flanner, "New Yorker" correspondent said of her "Her magnificent dark body, a new model to the French, proved for the first time that black was beautiful." In 1995 had a song written about her by the band Fossil titled "Josephine Baker". Georges Simenon, the Belgium author and inventor of Inspector "Maigret" had a short relationship with Josephine in 1925. He couldn't stand it however that she was more in the spotlight then him, and called himself "Mr. Josephine". Buried in the Cimetiere de Monaco in Monte Carlo. She served in the French Resistance in World War II. In 1951 the Stork Club in New York City refused to serve her because she was black. This led to a confrontation with columnist Walter Winchell. Later, she was falsely accused of being a communist sympathizer, and the FBI started a file on her. Pictured in a poster for the film Princesse Tam Tam (1935) on a 42¢ USA commemorative postage stamp celebrating Vintage Black Cinema, issued 16 July 2008.