Josephine Baker: Black Goddess Paris 1920's

American born Josephine Baker (1906~1975) traveled to Paris in 1925 to perform in La Revue Negre where she became an overnight success. The rest of the her "pop-star" history is one of most interesting of the first half of the 20th century.


Baker went on to star at the Folies Bergere and the Casino de Paris, beginning in 1926 until the early 1930s. Her more than 40 years as a American expat living in France, brought her fame not only as music-hall royalty but also as a celebrity on and off the stage. Her career and life story are well documented on the web, therefore my posting here will include Baker material rarely seen. Note that all the photographs of Baker, and all the other performers and performances at the Folies Bergere, were made by Walery, also known as the Paris Art Studio. 


The top scan is the die-cut cover of the 1926-1927 Folies Bergere program, the first appearance of Baker at that fabled music-hall.

Colorized photograph from the 1927 Folies program showing Baker in 
minimal costume of feathers and "pearls"

Baker doing the Charleston on stage at the Folies

Small format (approx.1.5" x 2.5"), souvenir packet with 20 photographs of Baker.
Published by the Casino de Paris, circa 1932; note advertising for Columbia records and Bakerfix on the packet exterior.

Bakerfix, circa early 1930s. Tube of "brillantine" hair fixative promoted using Baker's name. Baker appears to be one of the first celebrities to license her name for use in advertising.

Italian postcard, circa early 1930s. From a celebrated series of caricatures of performers 
and movies stars illustrated by Nino Za.

Photo postcard, circa early 1930s. Casino de Paris costume. 

Photograph by Madame d'Ora.

A hand-tinted Josephine published in Germany by Iris.

Photo postcard, circa 1927. Folies Bergere costume. 

Photograph by Walery.

Cover photograph, Bobino theatre program, Paris 1975. After  the overwhelming success of her 1973 Carnige Hall performance in New York City, Baker returned to the Paris stage to some of the best reviews of her career. Sadly, this was her final performance, as Baker died of a cerebral hemorrhage at 68 years old, a few days after the show closed.

Complete sheet of 50 French 2f,80 commemorative stamps published on the

twentieth anniversary of Baker's death in 1995.

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Folies Bergere programs: Paris 1920s/30s

The Folies Bergere music-hall, located in Paris on the rue Bergere, is a world famous venue attracting travelers and tourists for decades dating back to its original incarnation in 1869. The Folies Bergere is  known for the incredible "spectacles" created during the 1920s and '30s under the direction of Paul Derval, where Josephine Baker became an overnight sensation, circa 1925.


In circa 1923 the Folies began publishing lavishly produced souvenir programs. Each program was dedicated to one full season showing all the primarily performers in costume and all the staged "spectacles", some as colorized, two page spreads.


The programs for pre-occupied Paris were published until 1938. The thousands of photographs appearing in the programs were, amazing, all credited to a single photographer, Walery and his Paris Art Studio. I will soon post separate blogs for both Walery and Josephine Baker.

Two top illustrations are both hardcover volumes with the first nine Folies programs, circa 1923 ~ circa 1931, together with the original covers bound-in. These bound volumes were presented by Paul Derval to distinguished guests and friends of the Folies. The volume in red covers was bound in Czechoslovakia.

Program for 1930. Une Coup de Folie.

Each program cover was die-cut to reveal a part of the colorized photograph on the first page. The black and white was "colorized" by the printer to recreate how the photograph might appear in color. Not until 35mm color film for motion pictures was spooled for the Leica camera, in 1937, was true color (transparency) photography possible.

Program for 1929. De La Folie Pure.

Note the pre-King Kong image of beauty and the beast!

Program for 1931. L'Usine Folies 

Embossed silver foil covers

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