Joséphine had admirers in the art and literary worlds as well as in her world of entertainment. Artists, including Pablo Picasso, clamored to paint her portrait. American author Ernest Hemingway called her “the most sensational woman anybody ever saw.” With her fantastic appeal, she enchanted even heads of state. To each person in her audience she communicated the feeling that she was sitting on their lap, singing only for them. She carried this stage charisma into her relationships outside the theater, making each person who ever aided her feel that he or she was the only one who had ever done so. Both her admirers and her benefactors had difficulty accepting that Joséphine was dead—that the star was extinguished.
Appendix
THE RAINBOW TRIBE
IN 2006, FOR THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY of Joséphine Baker’s birth, the artist known as Chouski was selected to sculpt a statue of Joséphine to go in the park below Les Milandes, the childhood home of the Rainbow Tribe. The work of art was revealed on June 3, 2006, at a special ceremony where singers and a jazz orchestra played many of the songs for which Joséphine was famous.
The statue depicts Joséphine standing and hugging a little boy, most likely her first adopted son, Akio, to her chest. Joséphine looks peaceful in the representation of the dream she had pursued throughout her adult life—to prove that people of all nationalities, colors, and races could live together in harmony. The footprints of her 12 children are carved into the statue’s pedestal.
Most of the Rainbow Tribe have lived quiet lives since reaching adulthood, and finding information about their current activities is difficult.
Akio, the first adopted child, turned 62 in July 2014. He is a short, mild-mannered man who is unmarried and works in a bank. He didn’t speak until he was four years old and he remains a quiet person to this day. Once a year, he leaves his work in Paris to travel to Les Milandes, where he serves as a guide to tourists interested in his mother’s clothing, costumes (especially the banana skirt), posters, and other memorabilia. He is the only member of the Rainbow Tribe who still returns to their childhood home.
Janot, who is also single, works as a gardener for the Société des Bains de Mer in Monte Carlo.
Luis is married to Michele; they have two children; he works for an insurance company in Monte Carlo and lives in Menton, France. Their first child was born and died shortly after Joséphine’s death; the infant is buried beside her.
Jari now spells his name Jarry. He has not returned to the château in over two decades. At age eight, he was sent to live with his father because Joséphine discovered he was gay. He is short and blond with red cheeks. He is single, lives in New York, and works as a waiter at the Chez Josephine on 42nd Street. The restaurant acts as a constant reminder of his mother, whose pictures and photos adorn all the walls. He and Akio have the closest relationship of the 12 siblings.
The first Jean-Claude is single and is writing a collection of short stories. He lives in Paris.
Moïse is divorced and has no children. He currently lives in his birth country of Israel.
Brahim is also single, and just finished his first novel. He lives in Paris and has changed his name to Brian.
Marianne is married with two children; she lives in Paris. She gave birth to Joséphine’s first grandchild, Marie-Audrey.
Koffi is married. He lives in Buenos Aires with his family and works as a chef de cuisine.
Mara is married with two children. He works in a government tax office in Benson, France.
Noël is single and lives in Paris.
Stellina is single. She works for an airline and she lives in Paris.
Though not part of the original Rainbow Tribe, Jean-Claude Baker became close to Joséphine in his adult years. He became an American citizen in 1983 and currently lives in New York City, where he operates Chez Josephine. When asked about the Rainbow Tribe, he always drily says that they are alive and that no one is in jail.
In 1991, on a French television show, 11 of the Rainbow Tribe were reunited for the first time since Joséphine’s death. Only Noël, who was at the time hospitalized for schizophrenia, did not participate.
NOTES
1: Her Own Journey
“I’m leaving here a nobody”: Remembering Josephine, 1976, page 33.
“Mama said things to me”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 16.
“No! No! Please don’t”: Josephine, 1977, page 8.
“I scream, I scream, Mother”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 24.
“Oh, it’s the ghost”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 25.
“Never again would I”: Josephine, 1977, page 11.
“I throw myself”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 20.
“I’m going to talk”: Josephine, 1977, page 14.
“It worked! I’m hired!”: Josephine, 1977, page 14.
“Margaret, before I say”: Josephine, 1977, page 16.
“She has chosen her path”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 40.
2: Show Business Debut
“Seeing everybody looking”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 28.
“Many of us had been”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, pages 63–64.
“If somebody came”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 44.
“I had grown used to”: Josephine, 1977, page 31.
“I can sing all”: Josephine, 1977, page 40.
“Paris is the most beautiful city”: Josephine, 1977, page 42.
“I can only recall”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 97.
3: Joséphine Charms Paris
“You’re fixin’ t’kill”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 73.
“Miz Dudley, why”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 73.
“You must let me shape this show”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 78.
“The first time I”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 6.
“This isn’t New York”: Josephine, 1977, page 52.
“Well, last night after”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 116.
“they are as simple”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 21.
“No one wanted to”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 118.
“As beautiful as the night”: Josephine Baker, 1988, page 20.
“lamentable transatlantic”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 64.
“I had plotted to”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 122.
“Don’t count on it”: Jazz Cleopatra, 1989, page 88.
“If you want me”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 129.
“I felt like kicking”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 129.
“I never recognized”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 131.
4: La Folie du Jour
“A hat went flying”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 113.
“I don’t have the calling”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 97.
“I tell them everything”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 103.
“tall, vital, incomparably”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 108.
“After the show”: Josephine, 1977, page 66.
“I got sparkling rings”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 119.
“and the queens were”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 13.
“I am tired of this”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 128.
“I will marry an average”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 128.
“I’m just as happy”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 132.
“He sure is a count”: “Josephine Baker, Black Dancer, Weds a Real Count.” Milwaukee Journal, June 22, 1977.
“I couldn’t tell you. When I dance, I dance”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 159.
“He wounded himself”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 148.
“I don’t want to live”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, pages 153–54.
5: Two Loves
“Joséphine had to have�
��: Naked at the Feast, 1981, pages 174–75.
“The closest I can come to telling”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 164.
“The beautiful savage has learned to discipline”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 171.
“She could be very bossy”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 177.
“The sight of Josephine”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 175.
“I’m so excited”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 197.
6: Storms of Life
“She just slept”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 194.
“My grandmother’s apartment”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 194.
“After her cyclonic”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 197.
“Critics aren’t fooled”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 197.
“Cheríe, I am not going to speak of love”: Josephine, 1977, page 110.
“He is a great artist”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 217.
“France made me”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 214.
“We are informed”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 222.
“I think that monsieur”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 222.
7: Joséphine’s Challenges
“Why don’t you just put a zipper”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 245.
“as much a victim”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 248.
“Tumpy ain’t dead.” Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 248.
“That’s the Americans”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, pages 229–30.
“There has been a slight”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 249.
“We’ve got to show that blacks and whites”: Josephine, 1977, page 131.
“My program included”: Babylon Girls: Black Women Performers and the Shaping of the Modern, 2009, page 260.
“Dear Mademoiselle Josephine Baker”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 237.
8: Let My People Go
“under police guard”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 280.
“I do not like people”: Josephine Baker, 1988, page 160.
“There is a fundamental”: Josephine, 1977, page 161.
“This is the happiest moment of my life”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 254.
“Josephine Baker’s applause”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, pages 248–49.
“They have killed”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 250.
“This is a terrible experience”: “Stork Club Refused to Serve Her, Josephine Baker Claims.” Milwaukee Journal, October 19, 1951.
“I am appalled at the agony”: Jazz Cleopatra, 1989, page 222.
9: In My Village
“everyone who believes in brotherhood”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 266.
“she would have to prove”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 268.
“They were rolling around”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 269.
“Look what God”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 268.
“to adopt five little”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 326.
“I suffered a lot”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 269.
“I’ll be fifty this year”: Josephine, 1977, page 204.
“As I am leaving”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 274.
10: Joséphine and Jo Split
“The Heart-Rending Drama”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 342.
“Having lost their natural parents”: Josephine, 1977, page 212.
“I was lucky”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 473.
“Mara has rickets”: “Josephine Baker Adopts Indian Boy,” The Age, April 25, 1959.
“Banking on the theory”: “Jo Baker Conquers New Paris as Old.” Washington Afro-American, June 16, 1959.
“We feel it is our duty”: “International Family of 11 ‘Living Dolls.’” Sydney Morning Herald, March 10, 1963.
“‘We are not angry”: Ollie Stewart. “Divorce for Josephine, Jo Bouillon?” Baltimore Afro-American, July 2, 1957.
“I didn’t realize”: Beverley Mitchell. “Singer’s Brood Is International,” Montreal Gazette, November 14, 1963.
“I am happy to”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 392.
“You are here on the eve”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 371.
“Our World is toppling”: Josephine Baker, 1988, page 208.
“Don’t be worried”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page xix.
“I, too, need $400,000”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 291.
“These youngsters will come”: “Different Races Can’t Live Together? Miss Baker Has Reason for Disbelief,” Gasden Times, March 15, 1964.
“The older children”: Josephine, 1977, page 270.
11: Losing Les Milandes
“When we left”: Josephine, 1977, page 257.
“I will not leave”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 409.
“I’m not bitter”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 295.
“It was here that”: Josephine, 1977, page 262.
“I wonder if I could have”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 296.
“I don’t deserve”: Josephine Baker, 1988, page 248.
“Dear Boys and Girls”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 302.
“Don’t be silly”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 302.
“For fun, she would”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 302.
“Nobody wants me”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 303.
“I don’t understand what”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 306.
“I saw her use everybody”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 309.
12: The Curtain Falls
“I have an image to maintain”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 313.
“Nobody can take”: The Josephine Baker Story, 2000, page 314.
“At this moment it”: Josephine: The Hungry Heart, 1993, page 476.
“Tired? Young people”: Josephine, 1977, page 290.
“I shall dance all my life”: Josephine Baker, 1988, page 256.
“the most sensational”: Naked at the Feast, 1981, page 104.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
Baker, Jean-Claude and Chris Chase. Josephine: The Hungry Heart. New York: Random House, 1993.
Baker, Josephine and Jo Bouillon. Josephine. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1977.
Brown, Jayna. Babylon Girls: Black Women Performers and the Shaping of the Modern. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 2009.
Hammond, Patrick and Brian O’Connor. Josephine Baker. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1988.
Haney, Lynn. Naked at the Feast: A Biography of Josephine Baker. New York: Dodd Mead, 1981.
Papich, Stephen. Remembering Josephine. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1976.
Rose, Phyllis. Jazz Cleopatra: Josephine Baker in Her Time. New York: Doubleday, 1989.
Wood, Ean. The Josephine Baker Story. London: Sanctuary Publishing Limited, 2000.
Newspapers
“Different Races Can’t Live Together? Miss Baker Has Reason for Disbelief.” Gasden Times, March 15, 1964.
“International Family of 11 ‘Living Dolls.’” Sydney Morning Herald, March 10, 1963.
“Jo Baker Conquers New Paris as Old.” Washington Afro-American, June 16, 1959.
“Josephine Baker Adopts Indian Boy.” The Age, April 25, 1959.
“Josephine Baker, Black Dancer, Weds a Real Count.” Milwaukee Journal, June 22, 1971.
Mitchell, Beverley. “Singer’s Brood Is International.” Montreal Gazette, November 14, 1963.
Stewart, Ollie. “Divorce for Josephine, Jo Bouillon?” The Afro-American, July 2, 1957.
“Stork Club Refused to Serve Her, Josephine Baker Claims.” Milwaukee Journal, October 19, 1956.
Websites
Corinna, Nicole. “When Frida Kahlo Set Her Eyes on Josephine Baker.” http://lifeofanartist.
hubpages.com/hub/When-Frida-Kahlo-Set-Her-Eyes-on-Josephine-Baker
“Josephine Baker.” Notable Black American Women. Gale. 1992. Gale Biography in Context. http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/bic1/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&disableHighlighting=true&prodId=BIC1&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CK1623000015&mode=view&userGroupName=gotitans&jsid=45c9bae18e81d0eadfc534d36f31056e.
“Josephine Baker.” Voguepedia online. www.vogue.com/voguepedia/Josephine_Baker
“Josephine Baker.” The Biography.com website. www.biography.com/people/josephine-baker-9195959. “Official Site of Josephine Baker.” www.cmgww.com/stars/baker/about/biography.html.
Theile, Merlind. “Adopting the World: Josephine Baker’s Rainbow Tribe.” Spiegel International October 2, 2009. www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/adopting-the-world-josephine-baker-s-rainbow-tribe-a-652613.html.
PEGGY CARAYANTES is a former English and history teacher, middle school principal, and deputy school superintendent. She is the author of 16 books for middle grades and young adult readers, including Petticoat Spies: Six Women Spies of the Civil War and American Hero: The Audie Murphy Story. Her YA biographies have been selected for the California Titles for Young Adults, Tri-State Books of Note, and the Top Forty Young Adult Nonfiction Books lists. She lives in San Antonio, Texas.
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Front cover images (clockwise from top): Joséphine wearing headdress, © Bettmann/CORBIS; Joséphine in uniform, © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS; Josephine clowns with clarinet, © Bettmann/CORBIS; Joséphine Baker and Jean-Claude Baker, © Bettmann/CORBIS
The Many Faces of Josephine Baker Page 14