“Josephine Baker is at the Folies Bergere” (1936). Lithograph poster by Michel Gyarmaty (1908-1996).

            In the exhibition titled “Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939” at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. 

“A network of African American women in Paris enriched the interwar blossoming of Black culture known as the Harlem Renaissance.  French society was by no means colorblind, but it lacked the segregation policies of the United States.  In Paris, American women of color felt liberated from the double burden of racial and gender-based discrimination.  They were free to study at the city’s many art academies and private studios and to show their work in prestigious exhibitions.  Writers thrived in an environment that seemed far more egalitarian than the one at home. . .

“Ada ‘Bricktop’ Smith was the enterprising proprietor of several popular Montmartre nightspots.  At her clubs, black and white Americans mingled freely . . . Bricktop’s one-time protégé, the singer and dancer Josephine Baker (1906-1975), was the most famous American living in Paris.  She rocketed to stardom by performing theatrical roles based on French colonial stereotypes of Africa. . .

“In 1935, Josephine Baker returned to the United States for the first time in ten years.  Hotels and restaurants refused to accommodate her, and reviews of her performances were lackluster.  

“By contrast, Baker received a hero’s welcome on arriving back in France, In interviews, she expressed deep gratitude to the French people ‘to whom I owe being Josephine Baker.’  This exuberant poster celebrates Baker’s appearance in a show written specifically for her. It commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the Folies Bergere, a renowned Parisian musical hall.

 “Baker became a French citizen in 1937.  The racism she experienced in the United States, however, awakened her political consciousness.  In 1963, she returned to the United States to speak at the March on Washington for jobs and Freedom.  She told the crowd, ‘I could not walk into a hotel in America and get a cup of coffee, and that made me mad.”  [Excerpts from the accompanying text]

[Note: The poster is approximately 10 feet 9 inches tall (about 3.27 meters). It’s a truly impressive piece!]

Taken in: United States / Washington, D.C. / Elinor (historical) (show map)

Taken on: November 12, 2024

Tags:

Creole Goddess

Bronze Venus

Black Pearl

illustration

art

artwork

Josephine Baker

dance

dancer

erotic dancer

erotic dancing

France

Freda Josephine McDonald

entertainer

erotic

French entertainer

Black American

entertainment

Black entertainer

Paris

feather

feathers

red feathers

Folies Bergère

folies

Black Americana

lithograph

poster

lithographic poster

1936

Michel Gyarmathy

Gyarmathy

Gyarmaty

Michel Gyarmaty

Smithsonian American Art Museum

SAAM

American Art Museum

art museum

museum

museum exhibit

photo at the museum

museum image « less

Sets appears in: • Black History & Americana • Art Walk in DC

Groups appears in: • Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery • Your Museum Images more » • Vintage Poster Art • Photos at the Museum • Stripshows « less

Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro, f/1.8, 1/40 sec, 6.9mm, ISO 500 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Apple iPhone 14 Pro
Lens:	iPhone 14 Pro back triple camera 6.86mm f/1.78
Aperture:	f/1.8
Exposure Time:	0.025 sec (1/40)
Focal Length:	6.9mm
ISO:	500
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Express Windows 10 (Windows)
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