Biography

Josephine Baker Biography: Age, Height, Birthday, Family, Net Worth

Freda Josephine McDonald was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 3, 1906. Her mother's name was Carrie, while her father's name was Eddie Carson. Her early childhood was spent in hardship.

Josephine Baker Biography: Josephine Baker was a French entertainer who was born on 3 June 1906. She was born in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States. Baker had a difficult upbringing, as she quit school and became a street child. She slept under cardboard structures in the streets and rummaged through garbage cans for sustenance. In 1925, Baker relocated to Paris, where she achieved success as a dancer. She was nicknamed “The Black Pearl” by the era’s intellectuals and artists. Here, we will help you celebrate Josephine’s special day.

Josephine Baker Birthday

Freda Josephine McDonald was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 3, 1906. Her mother’s name was Carrie, while her father’s name was Eddie Carson. Her early childhood was spent in hardship. She resided at 212 Targee Street in St. Louis’s Mill Creek Valley, a low-income area with brothels, rooming houses, and apartments without indoor sanitation. Carrie, her mother, performed domestic cleaning work to make ends meet. She subsequently wed Arthur Martin, with whom she had three more children.

Baker began working as a live-in maid for white families in St. Louis when she was eight years old. On occasion, she was overworked and tortured. Josephine’s hands were burnt by a woman who used too much detergent in the laundry. Baker quit education at age 12 and began to live on the streets. She slept in cardboard shacks in St. Louis’s neighbourhoods and foraged for food in trash cans. She obtained employment at the “Old Chauffeur’s club” at 3133 Pine Street at the age of 13.

A year later, during the Harlem Renaissance, Baker moved to New York City and landed a part in the chorus line of the Broadway musical ‘Shuffle Along’. In 1925, Baker sailed to Paris, where her erotic performance was an instant success. Several years later, Baker became France’s most prominent American entertainer. Baker was the first African-American entertainer to perform in Yugoslavia in 1929. Count Giuseppe Pepito Abatino accompanied Baker on her journeys through Yugoslavia. At the time, she performed in opulent venues in the city, but most of her performances were cancelled due to opposition from the morality police and local clergy.