Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 4:01 pm Posts: 5405 Location: England
Hello! There are many people forgotten in the sands of time, and I think it's a shame that some people aren't that famous despite being quite frankly brilliant. Here I plan to describe some of these fantastic people, and make history a bit more fun. Most of the info is from Wikipedia but in a more condensed format.
Today we will be looking at Josephine Baker, otherwise known as the "Bronze Venus" or the "Créole Goddess."Josephine Baker (June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975) was an American born French singer and dancer who rose to fame during the late 1920's and early 1930's. PICTURE
Background Info She was the first African-American female to star in a major motion film, Zouzou. Baker soon became a world-famous entertainer with her trademark banana striptease costume and routine (see below.) She is also noted for her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States (she was offered the unofficial leadership of the movement by Coretta Scott King in 1968 following Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, but turned it down), for assisting the French Resistance during World War II, and for being the first American-born woman to receive the French military honor, the Croix de guerre.
Early life She dropped out of school aged 12 and lived in the slums of St. Louis after being abused by her adopted parents. At age 15 she was hired to work in a vaudeville show when an entrepreneur saw her dancing on the street corner for cheddar. She worked in clubs until the management recognised that if she ever forgot part of a dance during an encore, she would add more complicated and intricate parts to it, setting her apart from all the other dancers.
Fame On October 2, 1925, she opened in Paris at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, where she became an instant success for her erotic dancing and for appearing practically nude on stage. This is where she debuted her famous banana dress in the "Danse sauvage." She later gave birth to the term "Art Deco" in 1925 during the "Exposition des Arts Décoratifs", which also renewed interest in African art.
In later shows she would often bring along her pet Cheetah, Chiquita to perform with her which wore a diamond collar. It frequently escaped into the orchestra pit where it terrorised the musicians. She was also a singer, performing such hits as "Bye bye blackbird" regularly.
Personal life Although based in France, Baker supported the American Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s. She protested in her own way against racism, adopting 12 multi-ethnic orphans, whom she called the "Rainbow Tribe." In addition, she refused to perform for segregated audiences in the United States. Her insistence on mixed audiences helped to integrate shows in Las Vegas, Nevada. Baker was also a bisexual, and supposedly dated 6 women in her lifetime. During the war she would often spy for the French in Nazi-owned reasons, and frequently carried hidden messages on her music sheets.
Post subject: Re: HISTORIC PEOPLE: JOSEPHINE BAKER
Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 3:32 pm
(ღ˘⌣˘ღ) ♫･*:.｡. .｡.:*･
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 4:01 pm Posts: 5405 Location: England
Rules wrote:
Nudity is not allowed, the exceptions being artistic nudes and/or anatomy images. Even then, put them under a link and say it's NSFW. Pictures that have people in underwear, or in suggestive poses/ situations are to be posted as links, with an NSFW tag. Basically, don't post tits, vaginas or dicks.
it's kind of blurring the line for artistic, i guess. I'll make it more of a warning and if it's asked to be removed, I will.
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