Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker was the epitome of the American emigre who found her niche in Paris during the years after the First World War. She arrived in France in 1925 following a stint as a bit player in Shuffle Along, the first all-Negro Broadway play. She performed her trademark black bottom dance to the delight of French audiences, dancing entirely nude on some occasions. When she toured central Europe a bit later on a carpenter there became so infatuated with her that he committed suicide. A French physician/entrepreneur purchased Baker her own nightclub in the Montmartre section of the French capital. Like many other men he failed to get her to marry him, even though he lavished her with expensive gifts and unlimited attention.