A STORY OF FRIENDSHIP
FROM NEW YORK
TO MONACO
Josephine’s professional career began as a
girl when she was only 15 years old, and like
a tornado rolled through New York, where
she debuted as a chorus girl, and then Paris,
Berlin, Brussels... The 19-year-old dancer
conquered the French capital instantly, be-
coming a Folies Bergère star.
THE 19-YEAR-
OLD DANCER
CONQUERED
THE FRENCH
CAPITAL
INSTANTLY,
BECOMING
A FOLIES
BERGÈRE STAR.
I
t is not easy to describe all the adven-
tures of the «black Venus» and the muse
of Baudelaire... It took her 19 years to
get from Freda Josephine McDonald, born
in Missouri in 1906, to the young woman
who won public recognition in (almost) all
of Europe. Sometimes her candid outfits
and dances became the reason for local
authorities to ban her performances, for
example, in Vienna, in Prague and other cit-
ies. However, it only played into the hands
of the young dancer, stirring up the interest
of the public.
Josephine Baker in Free France Air Force uniform, 1945
Josephine began to try herself in other
roles, performing as a singer during her
tour in South America and Asia. She did
not escape the nightmares of World War II,
working for the Resistance movement. For
her service she received several awards at
once, among them the Order of the Legion
of Honour, the highest award for services
to the Republic.
A few days before her death, the star of cab-
aret and incendiary dancing celebrated the
50th anniversary of her career. She passed
away on April 12, 1975. But what connected
the «black pearl» with the Principality?
GRACE AND JOSEPHINE
T
wo Americans who had gained
worldwide fame, had a strong
friendship, which began in 1951,
when the future princess of Monaco bore
the title of a rising star of Hollywood.
The meeting of Josephine and Grace took
place in the glamourous Stork Club restau-
rant in New York. Josephine Baker had re-
turned to the States, where the National As-
sociation for the Advancement of Colored
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Nevertheless, Josephine’s personal life had
never been stable... Just still a girl she first
married at the age of thirteen. After this,
a string of men and marriages continued
for many more decades. Willy Wells, Willy
Baker, Giuseppe Abatino, Jo Bouillon… Her
marriage with Bouillon lasted more than
10 years, until 1961. However, at this point
in her life there were 12 orphans gathered
from all around the world, adopted as a
protest against racism.
Princess Grace of Monaco and Josephine Baker, two world-famous Americans who became close friends
People (NAACP) named her the Woman of
the Year.
Ironically, Josephine’s visit to New York was
marred by an incident: the Stork Club staff
refused service to the famous dancer. Being
a witness to the outrageous scene, Grace
Kelly unceremoniously left the restaurant
with the «black star» and never returned
there. Since then, the two Americans be-
came close friends.
JOSEPHINE’S «RAINBOW
TRIBE» AND BANKRUPTCY
A
fter the war, Josephine Baker be-
came the owner of a castle in the
Périgord region, where she raised
her adopted children, hoping to show the
world that children of different nationalities
and races can live in peace.
Life went on as usual in the Baker mansion,
and Josephine tried to provide its «rainbow
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