Josephine Baker

Object Details

Artist

Pietri, active 1927 - 1930

Copy after

G. L. Manuel Frères, active 1900 - 1939

Sitter

Josephine Baker, 3 Jun 1906 - 12 Apr 1975

Exhibition Label

Born St. Louis, Missouri

Josephine Baker lived a remarkable, international life as a performer, French resistance fighter, and U.S. civil rights activist. In 2021, she was the first woman of color to be inducted into the French Panthéon, the “temple of the nation.”

Following her 1925 debut at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, she skyrocketed to fame with her iconic banana skirt, tempo-defying dances, popular songs, and starring movie roles.

During World War II, she leveraged her stardom to relay information as a French spy. Baker returned to the United States several times but refused to perform before segregated audiences. At the 1963 March on Washington, she told the crowd, “I have walked into the palaces of kings and queens and into the houses of presidents. . . . But I could not walk into a hotel in America and get a cup of coffee, and that made me mad.”

Nacida en St. Louis, Misuri

Josephine Baker tuvo una notable trayectoria internacional como artista, agente de la resistencia francesa y activista de los derechos civiles en EE.UU. En 2021 pasó a ser la primera mujer de color ingresada al Panteón, mausoleo de los personajes históricos de Francia.

Tras su debut de 1925 en el Théâtre des ChampsÉlysées en París, Baker saltó a la fama con su icónica falda de plátanos, bailes de agilidad increíble y famosas canciones y películas. Durante la 2a Guerra Mundial aprovechó su estrellato para transmitir información como espía de Francia. Baker regresó a EE.UU. varias veces, pero se negó a actuar ante públicos segregados. Durante la Marcha a Washington de 1963, se dirigió a la multitud: “He entrado en palacios de reyes y reinas, y en casas de presidentes [...]. Pero no podía entrar a un hotel en Estados Unidos y pedir una taza de café, y eso me enfurecía”.

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; bequest of Jean-Claude Baker

c. 1927

Object number

NPG.2016.47

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Drawing

Medium

Pastel on paper

Dimensions

Sheet: 63.3 × 48 cm (24 15/16 × 18 7/8")

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Location

Currently not on view

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Costume\Jewelry

Costume\Jewelry\Necklace

Costume\Jewelry\Earring

Josephine Baker: Female

Josephine Baker: Arts & Culture\Performing Arts\Musician\Singer

Josephine Baker: Arts & Culture\Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie actor

Josephine Baker: Arts & Culture\Performing Arts\Performer\Dancer

Josephine Baker: Legion of Honor

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.2016.47

Metadata Usage (text)

Not determined

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm403c38409-b7ca-4cbd-bc5a-5332cb5e939f