50 years of Josephine Baker (1906 – 1975): A life full of resistance
Fifty years ago, Josephine Baker, one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century, passed away. She was a dancer, singer, and one of the first Black film stars. She fled racism in the United States and became a global star in Paris. Josephine Baker was ahead of her time as an activist for equal rights. The Resistance Museum Amsterdam is showcasing, among other things, how active she was in the resistance against Nazi Germany in a special exhibition running until January 11, 2026.
Josephine Baker (1906 – 1975)
Josephine Baker, or Joséphine Baker, stage name of Freda Josephine McDonald (Saint Louis, Missouri, June 3, 1906 – Paris, April 12, 1975), was a French variety artist, second lieutenant in the Free French Forces (Forces françaises libres; FFL), humanist, and philanthropist. She was born American but acquired French citizenship on November 30, 1937. On November 30, 2021, she was symbolically interred in the Panthéon in Paris. Characteristic of her life were passion, resistance, and struggle. She led a very colorful existence, in which her life was at stake several times.
Youth years
Josephine Baker grew up in poverty in a segregated society plagued by racism. As a child, she worked as a maid for various families and lived as a homeless person from the age of twelve. She earned some money by dancing on the street for passersby. At fifteen, she was noticed by the Jones Family Band and the Dixie Steppers from Saint Louis, who took her into their Vaudeville troupe, with which she performed and toured the US. After this, she moved to New York and made her Broadway debut in the early 1920s as a chorus girl in the Black troupe the New Plantation Club, where she stood out due to her humorous antics and consequently came more to the forefront.
Departure from America
The first time she left for France was in 1925, after she had been scouted by the white producer Caroline Dudley Reagan, wife of Joseph Delteil and creator of the famous Revue Nègre, following her striking performance in the club. The request was to see if she would come to Paris to perform with a black troupe, and with whom, having agreed to this, she performed in La Revue Nègre at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées with her world-famous Danse Sauvage, dressed only in ostrich feathers and a skirt made of imitation bananas, shamelessly portraying a caricature of how most white people viewed someone of African descent at the time. When she enjoyed lunch in the dining car of the boat train to Paris, it was the first time she had sat among only white people.
In 1926, she interrupted the company's European tour and returned to Paris, where she joined the Folies Bergère with the act La Folie du Jour. From then on, she was given nicknames such as 'Black Venus', 'The Black Pearl', and 'The Creole Goddess'.
Permanently in France
In 1936, accompanied by her greatest fan and best friend, the Japanese Miki Sawada, she left for the US expecting a warm welcome. But it turned out to be a rude awakening. On Broadway, she starred in the play *Ziegfeld Follies*, for which Vincente Minnelli had designed the sets and costumes, and Ira Gershwin had written the music. Theater critics slammed her performances with racist remarks; Time magazine called her a "Negro girl" without particular talent. Disillusioned, partly due to the increased racial discrimination in the US, and comforted by Miki, she turned her back on this nation by returning to France and resolved to settle permanently in the country where she had already been received with open arms and was adored. In Paris, she felt at home and could be who she was. In the Parisian suburb of Le Vésinet, she bought the thirty-room mansion *Le Beau Chêne*. Here she provided financial support to the poor from the surrounding area, became godmother to the children in the local orphanage, and opened the garden of the house to them.
French nationality
In 1937, she entered into her third marriage, this time to the French sugar merchant, aviator, and resistance fighter Jean Lion, who was of Jewish descent and whose real name was Jean Levi, and who thereby acquired her French nationality. Through flying lessons from her husband, she obtained her Class 1 pilot's license. In 1940, she became pregnant but suffered a miscarriage. The marriage was dissolved in 1941 after it became apparent that Lion was keeping a mistress and that both were pursuing completely different goals.
Espionage activities
Little was known about Baker's espionage activities until 2020. The reasons for this were that she herself did not boast about this work and spoke very little about it, that the secret services revealed little to nothing about spies, and that archival documents regarding espionage remained secret, except in exceptional cases if they were important for the national interest and history. Because many archives, including those in France, were opened after 75 years, historians were able to draw on sources that had been closed until then. The data of the French secret service is stored at Le service historique da la défence, which is housed in the Château de Vincennes.
The Resistance Museum Amsterdam shows, among other things, how active it was in the resistance against Nazi Germany in a special exhibition running until January 11, 2026. Visit the Resistance Museum to read the full story of the resistance and its espionage activities. Fascinating!
Incitement to resistance
In 1938, during a tour of Germany, ammonia bombs were thrown at her while slogans were chanted demanding that she return to Africa. She had planned her show in Berlin for six months but cancelled it after only three weeks due to disruptions of her performances by Nazi activists. Because of her anti-racial stance, this set the tone for her to turn against Nazi Germany. After the Kristallnacht, during which Jews were killed and Jewish shops were destroyed, she joined the International League against Racism and Antisemitism. She was not welcome in Italy either, because Mussolini forbade her from appearing there.
Passing away
On April 12, 1975, four days after the opening of a successful premiere of a new revue in honor of her 50th anniversary on stage, Baker was found in a coma in bed. She had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. She was transferred to the Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, where she passed away. She was honored by the French government with a 21-gun salute, an exceptional event.
Baker received a full Catholic funeral at L'Église de la Madeleine, which was attended by more than 20.000 mourners. The only American-born woman to receive full French military honors at her funeral was the occasion of a massive procession. After a family service at the Eglise Saint Charles in Monte Carlo, her remains were buried at the Cimetière de Monaco. At the Château des Milandes, an exhibition of wax figures, clothing, and objects relating to her life can be seen, with a room dedicated to her wartime activities.
Pantheon
On November 30, 2021, Joséphine Baker was honored by means of a so-called cenotaph in the Panthéon in Paris, the burial place of honor for greats of French history, such as Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, Pierre Curie, and Louis Braille. It was a tribute for her resistance work during the Second World War, her commitment as an activist for equal rights, and her societal importance in a broad sense.
Baker is buried in Monaco, together with her husband and part of her family, and this remains so at the request of her family. Some soil from Monaco was placed at her cenotaph, along with soil from Paris and Saint Louis, as well as the Château des Milandes in the Dordogne, where she lived with her family.
France Euro coins
France is issuing coins in 2025 in honor of Joséphine Baker, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of her death. This collection includes collector coins such as a silver 10 euro coin and a gold 50 euro coin from the Monnaie de Paris. This is separate from the standard 2025 euro coin set, which does include a 20 cent coin bearing her image, in honor of her historical significance. Collectible coins- 10 euro silver coin: This coin, with a silver-plated appearance, is designed to celebrate her beauty, humanity, and courageous character, and was issued on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of her passing.
- 50 euro gold coin: This is a gold collector's item that honors her legacy as an artist and resistance fighter.
Standard euro coins
- 20 cent coin: The standard 2025 euro coin set contains a 20 cent coin depicting Joséphine Baker.
- Other coins: The standard set of 2025 also includes 1, 2, and 5 cent coins with Marianne, 10 cent with Simone Veil, 50 cent with Marie Curie, and the 1 and 2 euro coins with the Tree of Life.
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