The Remarkable Josephine Baker

If you were to ask someone on the street about Josephine Baker they might recall that she was a famous dancer in France. Perhaps, if they are fond of old French movies they might tell you that she starred in four films and that she was the first African American to do so.

Upon seeing a picture of her, most will marvel at her beauty and grace. What few imagine are how varied her talents were, or how much hardship she overcame, from poverty to racism.

Born in St. Louis Missouri as Freda Josephine McDonald in 1906, Josephine Baker was introduced to show business at the tender age of one, by her parents who both worked on the Vaudeville stage in a music and dance routine. When Josephine's mother married, it was to a man that was nearly always unemployed. Life was difficult. Her mother kept them from starving by doing menial work. The pay was little and Josephine, her oldest child, often went hungry. At eight years old Josephine was sent to work in service where she was mistreated. At ten she left school. Times were so bad then that she was forced to live in the streets where she danced to sustain herself. By the age of thirteen she was married to a man she met while dancing. The marriage was miserable for both of them and lasted barely a couple of years. Her second marriage came on the heels of the first, when she was only fifteen. It would be the second of four marriages, all ending in divorce.

Despite the weighty troubles that plagued her personal life, her talent as a dancer allowed her to join a Vaudeville troupe that travelled to New York. It was in New York that she found her first success. In 1925, hoping to get better opportunities, she sailed to France where she began her career as an exotic cabaret dancer and singer. She was a hit. Soon Ms. Baker was staring at the Follies Bergere, the most famous club in Paris. She became well known for a skit where she danced in a skirt made of artificial bananas. You can still find a video of her dancing the Banana Dance on You Tube today. Ms. Baker was a fantastic dancer, so agile that people said she danced as if she had "no bones" in her legs.

As famous as she was in France, when she returned to America she found little more than scorn. Deeply saddened, she returned to France and became a French citizen. Her love of her adopted country, where she suffered no discrimination, was such that she willingly risked her life to help the French Intelligence. Using her popularity and charm she was able to obtain information from high ranking officials of the opposing forces. She traveled widely to countries like Morocco to gather and send information to aid the French Resistance. At the end of WWII, Ms. Baker was decorated as a war hero. Among other honors and medals, she was made a Chevalier de la Legion D'honneur by General Charles de Gaulle.

Her heroism did not stop there, nor did her charity. Ms. Baker adopted many 12 children, war orphans, from different nations and cultures. Calling them her Rainbow Children, she sought not only to provide them with a loving mother, but also to show the world that people, no matter what race or origin could live in harmony together.

Ms. Baker supported the Civil Rights Movement in America and was the only woman to officially speak at Martin Luther King Jr's march on Washington in 1963. Because of her longstanding service to the organization she was also presented with a lifetime membership in the NAACP.

There is so much that can be written about Josephine Baker that it might easily fill a book or even several. Let it suffice to say that she was more than talented, or beautiful, or charitable, or brave. She was remarkable.

Pack Used: Spa Day. (Spa Day is not necessary for this Sim to work, however her clothes will be different without it.)

Josephine Baker CC: A beautiful dancer and her wardrobe are inseparable.

http://sims4marigold.blogspot.kr/20...i-mini-skirt.ht
Mari Mini Skirt by Marigold (use the deep yellow one)

http://kijiko-catfood.com/3d-lashes-version2/ By Kijiko
3D Eyelashes by Kijiko (use the extended mesh, 1st row from the top, 1st from the left)

http://www.thesimsresource.com/memb...-n1/id/1334937/
Babyhair by Mimilky (optional hairline and curls. It gives her that 1920’s flapper look.)

http://chisimi.tumblr.com/post/1213...nd-the-male-and
Stand Alone Cleavage Mask by Chisami

http://www.thesimsresource.com/arti...mph/id/1348510/
Satin Triumph by Birba 32 at TSR (short silk dress/ Night dress. Use the pink version.)

http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/1334636
Creator note: Requires Spa day and Get Together
By Zuckerschnute20 at TSR Bollylook II Pants

http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/1328055
(Long Skirt with Split) Emma Skirt by Trillyke at TSR (Use black)

http://dangerouslyfreejellyfish.tum...ogise-these-are
Elsewhere Eyes V2 by Dangerously Free Jellyfish (dark brown)

http://valhallansim.tumblr.com/post...iece-conversion
Vanity by Vallhallan (Use the two shades of blue option.)

http://sim-o-matic.wixsite.com/sim-o-matic/cloth
Big Dress 3 by Sim-o-matic (Pale blue lace dress. To download you will need to click on the image. Beneath it you will find the link.)

http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/1313390
Anto Countess Hair (Black)

http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/1323619
MJ95’s Madlen Adriana Feet (gold and turquoise sandals) at TSR

Taty Lips 121 by Tatygagg at TSR (rich red and dark red)
http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/1349412

http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/1335429
Contour N05 by Pralinesims at TSR (1st row from the top,3rd from the left)

http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/130662
S-Club Nails 01 by S-Club at TSR (peach)