Josephine Baker DANCER, ACTIVIST, SPY

Today she's widely remembered as a risqué entertainer – yet she was also involved in many of the earth-shaking events of her era. On the 50th anniversary of Josephine Baker's death, Anna Maria Barry tells the story of a true 20th-century icon

Anna Maria Barry

A LIFE LESS ORDINARY She was the granddaughter of a formerly enslaved woman, and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Martin Luther King Jr on the frontline of the battle for civil rights. She was a chorus-line girl who helped redefine black artistry in the US and Europe. She danced nearly naked, but cloaked herself in mystery to spy for the Allies. She brought comedy to cabaret, but undertook the most serious and dangerous tasks for the French Resistance. She wowed Picasso, Hemingway and, ultimately, all of France. On the evening of 30 November 2021, some 46 years after her death, the streets of Paris were thronged with dignitaries and onlookers watching as jazz-age superstar Josephine Baker was inducted into the Panthéon – the mausoleum in which only the most distinguished sons and…

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Bbc History (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2025

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