Born Freda Josephine McDonald, Josephine Baker skyrocketed
to fame in Paris at the age of 19 first as part of the “La Revue Nègre” and
thereafter as a star of the Folies Bergère in which she performed the “danse
sauvage” clad only in a string of artificial bananas. Blending exoticism and
eroticism, Baker’s outrageously seductive dances brought fame and
fortune—she was the highest paid entertainer in Europe and the recipient of a
shower of luxurious gifts and marriage proposals. In this exquisite print, the
Paris-based portrait photographer Stanislaw Ignacy captured the coyly seductive
expression, lithe body, and fanciful costume that made Baker famous.