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Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker

Public Domain

Josephine Baker
ArtistPolish, 1863–1935, active France
CulturePolish
Titles
  • Josephine Baker
Datec. 1927
PlaceParis, France
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 8 11/16 × 6 3/8 in. (22 × 16.2 cm)
 Sheet: 9 1/8 × 6 3/4 in. (23.1 × 17.1 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Clare A. Glassell
Object number2015.185
Current Location
The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building
Gallery 208
On view

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Object Type
DescriptionJosephine 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.
Provenance[Sotheby's, London, May 7, 1998, lot 215]; [Keith de Lellis Gallery]; purchased by MFAH, 2015.
Exhibition History"Icons of Style: A Century of Fashion Photography," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, June 23–September 22, 2019.
Published References Unpublished Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Printed on verso center: ÉTOILES ET BEAUTES / Edition Artistique de / WALERY-PARIS / REPRODUCTION INTERDITE / COPYRIGHT

Printed back label (stored in Accession file):
KEITH DE LELLIS / GALLERY / FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY / Artist: Walery (1863-1935) / Title: Josephine Baker / Date: c. 1926 / Medium: Vintage Toned / Gelatin Silver Print / Nationality: French / Size: 8.5" x 6.5" / Signed in ink "Walery Paris" Recto / Photographers credit wetstamped on verso / 1045 MADISON AVENUE NEW YORK NY 10075 / T 212.327.1482 F 212.327.1492 www.keithdelellisgallery.com
Signed in ink on sheet recto lower left: Walery / Paris

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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