Josephine Baker

Background

Freda Josephine McDonald was born on June 3, 1906, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her mother was called Carrie and her father was Eddie Carson. She spent her early childhood in poverty. She lived on 212 Targee Street in the Mill Creek Valley of St.Louis, a low-income neighborhood with brothels, rooming houses, and apartments without indoor plumbing. Her mother, Carrie took on laundry cleaning jobs to make ends meet. She later got married to Arthur Martin and had three more children with him.

When Baker was eight, she began working as a live-in domestic for white families in St.Louis. She was occasionally overworked and tortured. One woman burned Josephine’s hands when she put too much soap in the laundry. At age 12, Baker dropped out of school and went to live on the streets. She slept in cardboard shelters in the slums of St.Louis and scavenged for food in garbage cans. At 13, she found a job at the “Old Chauffeur’s club” at 3133 Pine Street.

One year later, Baker went to New York City during the Harlem Renaissance and secured a role in the chorus line of the Broadway revue, “Shuffle Along.” In 1925, Baker sailed to Paris and became an instant success for her erotic dancing. Several years later, Baker became the most successful American entertainer working in France. In 1929, Baker became the first African American entertainer to visit Yugoslavia while on tour. During her travels to Yugoslavia, Baker was accompanied by Count Giuseppe Pepito Abatino. She performed in luxurious venues in the city at the time but most of her shows were canceled, due to opposition from the morality police and local clergy.