Collection Search Results
Applied Filters: clear all filters
-
Included:
- search term:Josephine Baker
Your search found 16 result(s).
-
Advertisment for Bakerfix featuring and signed by Josephine Baker
- Printed by
- Draeger, Imp, French, 1886 - 1980
- Illustrated by
- Unidentified
- Subject of
- Baker, Josephine, American, 1906 - 1975
- Signed by
- Baker, Josephine, American, 1906 - 1975
- Date
- ca. 1930
- Medium
- ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (Image): 11 × 8 5/8 in. (27.9 × 21.9 cm)
- H x W (Sheet): 18 1/8 × 16 3/16 in. (46 × 41.1 cm)
- Description
- A Bakerfix advertisement featuring an image of Josephine Baker. The image is a close up image of Baker from the shoulders up. She is leaning her head down, towards her proper right shoulder. Text written in French at the top reads: [Bakerfix / Brillantiné / fixe les cheveux sans les graisser]. The bottom right corner has Baker's signature. Below her signature black text reads: [Draeger, Imp.]. The advertisement is mounted in white matting. The back of the matting has exhibition labels from the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery and the Sheldon Art Galleries.
- Place made
- Paris, Île-de-France, France, Europe
- Classification
- Memorabilia and Ephemera-Advertisements
- Movement
- Harlem Renaissance (New Negro Movement)
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and National Portrait Gallery, Gift from Jean-Claude Baker
- Object number
- 2016.135.1
- Restrictions & Rights
- Unknown - Restrictions Possible
-
Photographic print of Josephine Baker performing at the Folies Bergère
- Photograph by
- Walery, founded 1888
- Subject of
- Baker, Josephine, American, 1906 - 1975
- Date
- 1926-1935
- Medium
- silver and gelatin on photographic paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (Image): 10 3/4 × 7 7/8 in. (27.3 × 20 cm)
- H x W (Sheet): 11 13/16 × 8 5/16 in. (30 × 21.1 cm)
- Description
- A black and white photograph of Josephine Baker performing the Charleston on stage at Folies Bergère. The photograph features Baker at center standing on a reflective stage. She is doing the Charleston and looking to the left of the photograph. Behind her, a backdrop of an art deco style drawing shows buildings and ships. The bottom right corner has the photographers mark. The back of the photograph has a handwritten inscription that identifies the venue as the Folies Bergère.
- Place depicted
- Paris, Île-de-France, France, Europe
- Classification
- Media Arts-Photography
- Movement
- Harlem Renaissance (New Negro Movement)
- Type
- gelatin silver prints
- Topic
- Actors
- Dance
- Entertainers
- Jazz (Music)
- Singers (Musicians)
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and National Portrait Gallery, Gift from Jean-Claude Baker
- Object number
- 2016.135.2
- Restrictions & Rights
- Public domain
-
Poster advertising a Josephine Baker performance at the Folies Bergère
- Printed by
- Jombart Fres Imp. Asnieres, French
- Illustrated by
- Ranson, Gontran, French, 1891 - 1977
- Subject of
- Baker, Josephine, American, 1906 - 1975
- Date
- 1927
- Medium
- ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (folded): 24 3/16 × 16 in. (61.4 × 40.6 cm)
- H x W (unfolded): 27 5/8 × 16 in. (70.2 × 40.6 cm)
- Description
- A poster advertising a Josephine Baker performance at the Folies Bergère of Un Vent De Folie. An illustration of Baker is a center. Baker is featured upside-down, wearing green gloves, pearls, a green and white bra, and green tights with bells and red fringe. Next to the drawing is the illustrators mark: [Ranson]. Text at the top and bottom of the poster reads: [Folies- Bergère / Joséphine Baker / Hyper-Revue / Un Vent De Folie / Jombart Fres Imp. Asnières]. To the left of the illustration there are two French postage stamps. Both of the postage stamps have a blue ink stamp over them that reads: ANNULE]. The back of the poster has two inscriptions of a number.
- Place depicted
- Paris, Île-de-France, France, Europe
- Classification
- Memorabilia and Ephemera-Advertisements
- Movement
- Harlem Renaissance (New Negro Movement)
- Type
- posters
- Topic
- Actors
- Advertising
- Dance
- Entertainers
- Jazz (Music)
- Singers (Musicians)
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and National Portrait Gallery, Gift from Jean-Claude Baker
- Object number
- 2016.135.3
- Restrictions & Rights
- Unknown - Restrictions Possible
-
Voulez-vous de la Canne à Sucre?
- Published by
- Salabert, Francis, French, 1884 - 1946
- Composed by
- Lelievre, Léo, French, 1872 - 1956
- Written by
- Varna, Henri, French, 1877 - 1969
- Illustrated by
- Gaudin, Louis, French, 1882 - 1936
- Subject of
- Baker, Josephine, American, 1906 - 1975
- Alex, Joe, Martiniquan, 1891 - 1948
- Date
- 1930
- Medium
- ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (Image): 10 11/16 × 6 3/4 in. (27.1 × 17.1 cm)
- H x W (Sheet): 16 1/2 × 12 1/2 in. (41.9 × 31.8 cm)
- Title
- Song sheet for Voulez-vous de la Canne à Sucre? performed by Josephine Baker
- Description
- A song sheet titled, "Voulez-vous de la Canne à Sucre?" performed by Josephine Baker and Joe Alex. The song sheet is framed in a silver frame with white matting. The sheet features and illustration of Josephine Baker in costume. She is depicted with her body towards the left of the frame and her head facing the right looking down at a cheetah perched on its hind legs behind her. The artist's mark [Zig / 30] is next to the cheetah's back. French text throughout the sheet reads: [MM. Dufrenne et Varna présentent “Paris Qui Remue” / Revue de MM. H. Varna, L. Lelièvre et Earl Leslie au Casino De Paris / Voulez -Vous de la Canne à Sucre? / (En voulez-vous de la canne !!!) / Fox One Step / chante par / Joséphine Baker et Joe Alex / Por Piano et Chat / 6 fr. / Parole de Léo Lelièvre et Henri Varna / Musique de Paddy / Éditions Francis Salabert / Vente en Gros : / 22, Rue Chauchat, 22 –Paris – 9e / 14, Rue de Loxum Bruxelles]. The back of the frame has an alphanumeric inscription.
- Transcription Center Status
- Transcription Available
- Classification
- Documents and Published Materials
- Memorabilia and Ephemera
- Movement
- Harlem Renaissance (New Negro Movement)
- Type
- sheet music
- Topic
- Actors
- Dance
- Entertainers
- Jazz (Music)
- Singers (Musicians)
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and National Portrait Gallery, Gift from Jean-Claude Baker
- Object number
- 2016.135.8
- Restrictions & Rights
- Public domain
-
Black Delegates Challenge Mississippi Democrats
- Created by
- Ballis, George, American, 1925 - 2010
- Subject of
- Baker, Ella Josephine, American, 1903 - 1986
- Schwerner, Michael, American, 1939 - 1964
- Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, American, founded 1964
- Date
- 1964
- Medium
- silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (Image): 6 11/16 x 9 11/16 in. (17 x 24.6 cm)
- H x W (Sheet): 8 x 10 in. (20.3 x 25.4 cm)
- H x W (Mat): 16 x 20 in. (40.6 x 50.8 cm)
- Description
- A black-and-white photograph of Ella Baker speaking into a microphone and gesturing with her left hand. In the background there is a large portrait of Michael ‘Mickey’ Schwerner.
- Place depicted
- Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Media Arts-Photography
- Movement
- Civil Rights Movement
- Mississippi Freedom Summer
- Type
- gelatin silver prints
- portraits
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2012.107.2
- Restrictions & Rights
- © 1976 George Ballis ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Permission required for use.
-
The Black Woman: An Anthology
- Edited by
- Cade Bambara, Toni, American, 1939 - 1995
- Published by
- New American Library, Inc., American, founded 1948
- Written by
- Giovanni, Nikki, American, born 1943
- Lorde, Audre, American, 1934 - 1992
- Marshall, Paule, American, born 1929
- Walker, Alice, American, born 1944
- Lincoln, Abbey, American, 1930 - 2010
- Cade Bambara, Toni, American, 1939 - 1995
- Patton, Gwendolyn M., American, born 1943
- Covington, Francee, American
- Brown, Carole
- Lindsey, Kay, American
- Williams, Sherley Anne, American, 1944 - 1999
- Clark, Joanna
- Grant, Joanne, American, 1930 - 2005
- Sanders, Fran
- Beal, Frances M., American, born 1940
- Stokes, Gail, American
- Bond, Jean Carey, American
- Peery, Pat, American
- Smart-Grosvenor, Vertamae, American, 1937 - 2016
- White, Maude
- Green, Joyce, American
- Williams, Helen, American
- Jones, Adele, American
- Robinson, Pat, American
- Boggs, Grace Lee, American, 1915 - 2015
- Brehon, Helen Cade, American
- Cook, Ann, American
- Subject of
- Baker, Ella Josephine, American, 1903 - 1986
- Date
- 1970
- Medium
- ink on paper (fiber product)
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 7 × 4 3/16 × 11/16 in. (17.8 × 10.7 × 1.7 cm)
- Description
- A paperback, fifth printing edition of The Black Woman: An Anthology published by New American Library. The front cover depicts a color headshot of a woman against a black background. The woman is depicted from the shoulders up, standing in profile with her head turned towards the viewer. She is looking over her proper left shoulder and her shoulders are nude. White text in the top right corner reads [The Black / Woman / AN ANTHOLOGY / BLACK WOMEN SPEAK OUT. / A BRILLIANT AND CHALLENGING / ASSEMBLY OF VOICES THAT / DEMAND TO BE HEARD. / EDITED AND WITH A PREFACE BY / TONI CADE]. Printed vertically in the top left corner is publisher and pricing information printed in white text that reads [SIGNET NON-FICTION · Q4317 · 95c] followed by the Signet logo of a circle divided with the letter [S]. The spine is black with white text. At the top is the Signet logo above the text [Q / 4317]. Below is the text [THE BLACK WOMAN An Anthology edited by Toni Cade]. At the bottom of the spine is the publisher's number [451-Q4317-095]. The back cover is white and has a synopsis of the book printed in black text. At the bottom is the publisher’s information, also printed in black text. The interior pages, two hundred and fifty-six (256) in total, front and back, are off-white paper with black type.
- Place printed
- New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
- Movement
- BAM (Black Arts Movement 1965-1976)
- Type
- paperbacks
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2018.38.3
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Toni Cade Bambara. Permission required for use.
-
Letter to Margaret Martin Wallace ("Meg") from Josephine Baker
- Written by
- Baker, Josephine, American, 1906 - 1975
- Received by
- Wallace, Margaret Martin, American
- Date
- November 1, 1938
- On ViewCulture/Fourth Floor, 4 053
- Exhibition
- Musical Crossroads
- Medium
- ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W: 10 1/2 x 8 1/8 in. (26.7 x 20.6 cm)
- Description
- A signed, typed letter from Josephine Baker to her sister Margaret Martin Wallace ("Meg"). The letter is written in French and was accompanied by a typed translation of the text.
- Transcription Center Status
- Transcription Available
- Place made
- Le Vésinet, Paris, Île-de-France, France, Europe
- Classification
- Documents and Published Materials
- Movement
- Harlem Renaissance (New Negro Movement)
- Type
- letters (correspondence)
- Topic
- Actors
- Entertainers
- Families
- U.S. History, 1933-1945
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2010.36.14
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
-
J'ai Deux Amours
- Published by
- Salabert, Francis, French, 1884 - 1946
- Written by
- Koger, Géo, French, 1894 - 1975
- Scotto, Vincent, French, 1874 - 1952
- Created by
- Varna, Henri, French, 1877 - 1969
- Subject of
- Baker, Josephine, American, 1906 - 1975
- Date
- 1930
- On ViewCulture/Fourth Floor, 4 053
- Exhibition
- Musical Crossroads
- Medium
- ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W: 10 3/4 x 7 in. (27.3 x 17.8 cm)
- Description
- A piece of sheet music for the song "J'ai Deux Amours," performed by Josephine Baker. A cartoon print of Baker appears on the cover. She wears a peacock tail that a spotted cat plays with.
- Transcription Center Status
- Transcription Available
- Place depicted
- Paris, Île-de-France, France, Europe
- Classification
- Documents and Published Materials-Sheet music
- Movement
- Harlem Renaissance (New Negro Movement)
- Type
- portraits
- sheet music
- Topic
- Actors
- Entertainers
- Jazz (Music)
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2010.36.13.5
- Restrictions & Rights
- Unknown - Restrictions Possible
-
Michael Holman Family Home Movie #27
- Created by
- Wood, Pauline Thompson, American, born 1901
- Subject of
- Holman, Michael, American, born 1955
- Holman, Linda, American, born 1953
- Holman, Alice, American, 1927 - 2009
- Wood, Pauline Thompson, American, born 1901
- Baker, Josephine, American, 1906 - 1975
- Owned by
- Holman, Michael, American, born 1955
- Date
- ca. 1953
- Medium
- 8mm Film (a): acetate film;
- Film Reel (b): plastic;
- Film Container (c): plastic
- Dimensions
- Duration: 27 Minutes
- Length (Film): 369 Feet
- Title
- 8mm motion picture film of Michael Holman Family Home Movie #27
- Caption
- This film is from a collection of home movies filmed by the family of Michael Holman, an important figure in the history of hip hop. The collection predominately contains family vacation footage shot when Holman's father, Lt. Thomas Holman, was stationed in Europe with the US Army. Most of the footage was captured by Holman's grandmother, Pauline Thompson Wood. In addition to the European vacation films, the footage shot by Pauline Wood documents her involvement with the Baha'i Faith and includes footage of Baha'i events and pilgrimages to holy sites in Israel and Palestine. There is also footage of the family at home in San Francisco and other sites in California.
- Description
- This film is from a collection of home movies filmed by the family of Michael Holman, an important figure in the history of hip hop.
- Consists of: 8mm Film (a), Original Film Reel (b), and Original Film Container (c).
- 2016.31.3.27.1a: 8mm film. The film begins with shots of street life taken on a corner near the Callo metro station in Madrid, Spain. A small group of soldiers can be seen marching through the area. Next, two panning shots from a high vantage point depict the rolling hills of an unidentified rural area. These are followed by a shot of a balcony filled with potted flowers. A long series of shots capture a Holy Week parade through a small town. The parade features many members of Catholic brotherhoods dressed in traditional capirotes. There are also numerous religious floats carried through the streets on people's shoulders, a military marching band, and crowd members waving to the camera. Several high level dignitaries also march along the parade route. The film then cuts to the young Holman children playing on a quiet street and posing for the camera in Chateauroux, France. Linda Holman wears a white dress with white knee-high socks, and a white cap. Michael Holman wears a white shirt with navy overall-shorts. Alice Holman stands behind them wearing a white top and green skirt.The next sequence begins with close-up shots of people in a crowd. The camera cuts to a wider shot of a car parked on the street surrounded by the crowd. Josephine Baker emerges from a building, waves to the crowd. The camera cuts to a close-up shot of the car's license plate before Baker enters the car. There is then a series of shots of Linda Holman wearing a grey jacket and white cap, holding hands with Pauline Thompson Wood, who is wearing a fur shawl over a grey dress and posing for the camera. This is followed by a series of shots of a group of people standing together in a yard and smiling for the camera. Linda Holman appears in the front row wearing a white dress with a bow in her hair. Next, there is a long series of shots depicting street life in Paris, France. Many of the shots capture images of market areas with vendors and street performers. There is a succession of quick shots of a home and people at a large mansion before the films cuts to a series of shots depicting the Holman family interacting with friends and neighbors on a quiet street. Michael Homan wears a blue snow suit with a red scarf and white hat. Linda Holman wears a grey jacket with white knee socks and a black bonnet. Alice Holman wears a bright pink sweater with a black skirt. A further sequence of shots depicting Parisian street life follows. The next sequence depicts life in an unidentified quiet town in a warm climate. There are shots of various buildings, people walking down narrow streets, and people going about their business. Pauline Thompson Wood wears a red sweater and a dark shirt while walking on the beach to go speak to fishermen in boats. Many of the visible signs have Italian and Spanish homonyms. The subsequent series of shots depict tourist sites and street life in Rome, Italy and an unidentified beach location. This is followed by footage of Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius, as well as the Amalfi Coast. The next sequence features street life and tourist sites in and around Lisbon, Portugal. The penultimate series of shots most likely depict Tangier, Morocco. The final shots of the film capture Linda Holman wearing a grey jacket and white bonnet, playing near an unidentified river and mugging for the camera.
- 2016.31.3.27.1b: Original film reel. Gray plastic with a brief content note.
- 2016.31.3.27.1c: Original film container. Blue plastic with brief content notes.
- Place depicted
- Madrid, Spain, Europe
- Paris, Île-de-France, France, Europe
- Rome, Italy, Europe
- Pompeii, Napoli, Italy, Europe
- Costiera Amalfitana, Salerno, Italy, Europe
- Lisbon, Portugal, Europe
- Tanger, Tanger-Tetouan, Morocco, North Africa, Africa
- Collection title
- Michael Holman Family Collection
- Classification
- Media Arts-Film and Video
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2016.31.3.27.1abc
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Michael Holman
-
"Lady Day" necklace
- Created by
- Smith, Art, American, 1917 - 1982
- Date
- ca. 1971
- Medium
- silver and glass
- Dimensions
- Archives: 7.8Feet (0.1Meters)
- H x W x D (Lady Day necklace): 7 1/16 × 4 1/8 × 1 3/16 in. (18 × 10.5 × 3 cm)
- Caption
- Like Smith’s ‘Baker’ Cuff was named in honor of Josephine Baker, this necklace has Billie Holiday, often called Lady Day, as its namesake. Smith did not have a habit of naming his individual pieces, but his partner, Charles Russell, designated names for many of the designs years after Smith’s death.
- Russell may have been inspired by Smith’s love of jazz and connections to Holiday when naming this piece. An abiding jazz aficionado, jazz was one of the inspirations for Smith’s work. He liked to attend live jazz performances in Harlem and collected record albums by his favorite artists. Smith began his career working as an apprentice to modernist jewelry designer, Winifred Mason Chenet, who counted Billie Holiday among her high profile clientele. Holiday wore pieces likely designed by Smith in a December 1946 Ebony magazine article about Mason and her work.
- Description
- A silver collar-style necklace composed of two separate semi-circular metal pieces conjoined by a metal connector clasp set with a marble of clear and gold glass. The connector clasp allows for the bottom semi-circular portion to move freely while the piece is worn.
- The artist has no mark engraved into this particular piece.
- Place made
- New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Collection title
- Art Smith Archive
- Classification
- Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
- Archival Collections
- Type
- necklaces
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Charles L. Russell
- Object number
- A2018.110.1.3
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Estate of Art Smith. Permission required for use.
-
Scrapbook compiled by Louise Alexander Gunn
- Created by
- Gunn, Louise Alexander, American
- Subject of
- Gunn, Bill, American, 1934 - 1989
- Leon Sullivan, American, 1922 - 2001
- Lincoln University, American, founded 1866
- Waters, Ethel, American, 1896 - 1977
- Baker, Josephine, American, 1906 - 1975
- Waymon, Sam, American, born 1944
- Date
- 1950s - 1970s
- Medium
- newsprint , ink on photographic paper , cardboard , metal and synthetic fiber
- Dimensions
- 11 x 9 1/2 x 1 1/4 in. (27.9 x 24.1 x 3.2 cm)
- Description
- Cloth bound purple and green floral print spiral bound scrapbook containing black-and-white and color photographs along with newspaper clippings and other ephemera dating from the late 1950s to the late 1970s documenting the life of Louise Jackson Gunn in the Philadelphia area. Louise Gunn was an actress, beauty queen, and community activist. The contents of the scrapbook include newspaper clippings and photographs related to Gunn's church groups and activities, including the Zion Drama Workshop; her friendships with other women in the community and from her vaudeville past; and her travels to the Bahamas and Paris, France.
- A large portion of the scrapbook is devoted to Gunn’s community work, including scholarship fundraising for Lincoln University, adult education programs, and volunteering at Philadelphia General Hospital. Gunn also documents work with Rev. Leon H. Sullivan and the Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC), including efforts to provide school children with free breakfast and to fight housing discrimination.
- There are several clippings, photographs, and programs related to her son, the actor and playwright Bill Gunn, including a performance with Ethel Waters and collaborations with musician Sam Waymon. There are also clippings related to performances by Alberta Hunter and Josephine Baker.
- Place made
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Memorabilia and Ephemera
- Type
- scrapbooks
- Topic
- Activism
- Actors
- Blues (Music)
- Civil Rights
- Communities
- Education
- Entertainers
- Families
- Film
- Health
- Housing
- Jazz (Music)
- Motherhood
- Musicians
- Religious groups
- Social life and customs
- Social reform
- Theatre
- Travel
- Vaudeville
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2012.46.65.1
- Restrictions & Rights
- Unknown - Restrictions Possible
-
Harlem Gives Its Heart To Josephine Baker
- Created by
- New York Amsterdam News, American, founded 1909
- Photograph by
- St. Clair Dummett, L., American, 1910 - 2000
- Subject of
- Baker, Josephine, American, 1906 - 1975
- Date
- May 26, 1951
- Medium
- ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (Image): 21 7/16 × 16 3/8 in. (54.5 × 41.6 cm)
- H x W (Sheet): 24 7/8 × 19 3/4 in. (63.2 × 50.2 cm)
- Description
- Mounted newspaper clipping from the May 26, 1951 issue of the New York Amsterdam News. The clipping is titled, "Harlem Gives Its Heart to Josephine Baker." The clippings document Josephine Baker's 1951 visit to Harlem in a series of ten photographs and captions. The back of the mount has a sticker with numbers on it.
- Place depicted
- Harlem, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Documents and Published Materials
- Memorabilia and Ephemera
- Type
- clippings
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and National Portrait Gallery, Gift from Jean-Claude Baker
- Object number
- 2016.135.4
- Restrictions & Rights
- Unknown - Restrictions Possible
-
Poster of Josephine Baker for Compagnie Générale Du Disque - Pacific
- Printed by
- R. Deligne Imp., French
- Designed by
- Noël, Guy-Gérard, French, 1912 - 1994
- Photograph by
- Studio Harcourt, French, founded 1934
- Subject of
- Baker, Josephine, American, 1906 - 1975
- Pacific, French, founded 1945
- Date
- 1949
- Medium
- ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (Image): 22 5/8 × 13 3/4 in. (57.5 × 34.9 cm)
- H x W (Sheet): 29 3/8 × 20 3/8 in. (74.6 × 51.8 cm)
- Description
- A framed poster of Josephine Baker. The poster advertises her record with Compagnie Générale Du Disque - Pacific, a French record company, and features a large illustration of her at center. Baker is depicted wearing large earrings with an intricate swirl design and a lace top. To the right of the illustration is the artist's name: [Guy-Gérard Noël]. Text at the bottom of the poster reads: [Josephine Baker / Enregistre en Exclusivité Sur Disques / ‘Pacific]. Text in the bottom left corner reads: [daprès Photo Harcourt]. Text in the bottom right corner reads: [Imp. R. Deligne 33F St Denis Paris]. The poster is framed in a black frame with white mounting. The bottom left corner of the mount has a sticker that has the number [333] on it. The back of the frame has a metal wire to hang the picture with that runs from left to right, a sticker with text, and alphanumeric inscriptions.
- Classification
- Memorabilia and Ephemera-Advertisements
- Type
- posters
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and National Portrait Gallery, Gift from Jean-Claude Baker
- Object number
- 2016.135.5
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Guy-Gérard Noël. Permission required for use.
-
CC0
Poster of Josephine Baker advertising her performance at the Strand Theater
- Created by
- Unidentified
- Subject of
- Baker, Josephine, American, 1906 - 1975
- Warner Bros. Pictures, American, founded 1923
- Date
- 1951
- Medium
- ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (Image): 13 7/16 × 10 9/16 in. (34.1 × 26.8 cm)
- H x W (Sheet): 15 3/4 × 12 1/2 in. (40 × 31.8 cm)
- Description
- Poster of Josephine Baker advertising her performance at the Strand Theater. The poster features an image of Baker dressed in a long dress with feathers coming off the proper left side. Additional feathers sit atop her head in a faned out structure. Text to the left of the poster reads: [The Toast of PAris... / Now the Rage of America! / in Person! / Josephine Baker / Plus on Screen... / Warner Bros. / "Storm Warning" / Now! N.Y. / Strand Theater]. The poster is mounted on white mat board. The back of the board has several inscriptiosn inlcuding numbers and a date.
- Place depicted
- Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Memorabilia and Ephemera-Advertisements
- Type
- posters
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from Jean-Claude Baker
- Object number
- 2016.135.6
- Restrictions & Rights
- Public domain
-
Poster advertising Josephine Baker's recording of Josephine
- Printed by
- Saint Martin, French
- Designed by
- Ventouillac, Guy, French
- Distributed by
- Festival, French
- Subject of
- Baker, Josephine, American, 1906 - 1975
- Date
- 1975
- Medium
- ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (Image): 22 5/8 × 14 7/8 in. (57.5 × 37.8 cm)
- H x W (Sheet): 24 1/8 × 16 5/16 in. (61.3 × 41.4 cm)
- Description
- A poster advertising a recording of Josephine Baker's revue Josephine. The poster features an image of Josephine Baker at center wearing jumpsuit with beads throughout and a feathered headpiece. Her arms are raised upward to each side and she looks up and to the left. White text surrounds the image of Baker and reads: [Avec le Concours De La S.B.M. Monte-Carlo / Bobino / Jean-Claude Dauzzonne présente / Josephine], [Festival / Exclusivite / Musidisc / Europe], and [Un Grand Spectacle De / Andre Levasseur]. Text on the left boarder reads: [Photo Guy Ventouillac]. Text on the right border reads: [Ets St Martin imp. 92 Asnieres]. The back of the poster has two alphanumeric inscriptions.
- Place depicted
- Paris, Île-de-France, France, Europe
- Monte Carlo, Monaco, Europe
- Classification
- Memorabilia and Ephemera-Advertisements
- Type
- posters
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from Jean-Claude Baker
- Object number
- 2016.135.7
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Guy Ventouillac. Permission required for use.
-
James A. Baldwin Collection
- smithsonian online virtual archive
- Record
- Creator
- Baldwin, James, 1924-1987
- name
- Baldwin, Daniel
- Baldwin, David
- Dandridge, Frank
- Evers, Charles
- King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968
- Whaley, Paula Baldwin
- inclusive dates
- 1935-1988
- Physical description
- 4.29 Linear feet
- Abstract
- James Baldwin was a writer and an activist and is one of the most prominent voices from his generation to bring light to issues of racial and sexual discrimination. This collection contains correspondence, photographs, manuscripts, and awards. The collection provides insight into his family, writing process, and travels during his lifetime.
- Preferred Citation
- James Baldwin Collection, National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open for research. Access to collection materials requires an appointment.
- Biographical Sketch
- James Arthur Baldwin (1924–1987) was born in Harlem, New York, on August 2, 1924, to Emma Berdis Jones, originally from Princess Anne, Maryland. He was reared by his mother and stepfather David Baldwin, whom Baldwin referred to as his father and whom he describes as extremely strict. He did not know his biological father. As the oldest of nine children, Baldwin took seriously the responsibility of being a big brother and his mother's right hand. He cared for and protected his three younger brothers and five sisters in a household governed by the rigid rules of their father, a Baptist preacher, originally from New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Between the ages of fourteen and sixteen, Baldwin, himself, became a preacher at the Fireside Pentecostal Assembly, where he developed a celebrated preaching style. Baldwin's brief experience in the church would have a sustained impact on his rhetorical style and on the themes, symbols, and biblical allusions in his writings. Baldwin's Pentecostal experience is, in fact, essential to understanding his complex views on Christianity, which he espoused in his speeches and publications. His experience would also serve in part as the underpinnings of his stance on religion. In The Fire Next Time, Baldwin proclaims, "If the concept of God has any validity or any use, it can only be to make us larger, freer, and more loving. If God cannot do this, it is time we got rid of Him." During his early teen years, Baldwin attended Frederick Douglass Junior High School, where he met his French teacher and mentor Countee Cullen, who achieved prominence as a poet of the Harlem Renaissance. Baldwin went on to DeWitt Clinton High School, where he edited the school newspaper The Magpie and participated in the literary club, just as Cullen had done when he was a student there. By high school graduation, he had met his close friends at DeWitt Clinton—Richard Avedon, Emile Capouya, and Sol Stein.
- The 1940s marked several turning points in Baldwin's life. In 1942, he graduated from high school, and a year later he witnessed the New York Race Riots and experienced the death of his father. After this emotional loss, Baldwin felt more than ever it was important to play father figure to his siblings. He worked at menial jobs during the day, and at night he played guitar in Greenwich Village cafes and wrote long hours, trying to fulfill his dream of becoming a writer.
- In 1944, Baldwin met Richard Wright, whose written work spoke to his heart and who would also become a mentor. Baldwin appreciated Wright's strong opinions about race in America, and he greatly valued their intellectual exchange. Wright helped Baldwin to obtain a fellowship to write his first novel, which enabled him to leave for Paris in 1948, where the older writer had relocated a few years earlier. However, the two were often at odds about the ways in which they approached race in their work. Baldwin wrote three essays explicating his critique of Wright's "protest art." This conflict eventually led to the demise of their friendship.
- In 1948, at age twenty-four, Baldwin left the United States to live in Paris, France, as he could not tolerate the racial and sexual discrimination he experienced on a daily basis. Professor Kendall Thomas of Columbia Law School explains that Baldwin left his country because of racism and Harlem because of homophobia--two aspects of his identity that made him a frequent target of beatings by local youth and the police. Years later, when asked about his departure, Baldwin explained in a Paris Review interview: "My luck was running out. I was going to go to jail, I was going to kill somebody or be killed" (1984). In Paris, Baldwin began to interact with other writers. He reconnected with Richard Wright, and for the first time, he met Maya Angelou, with whom he maintained a close relationship.
- Baldwin would spend the next forty years abroad, where he wrote and published most of his works. Between 1960 and 1970, Baldwin lived regularly in Istanbul, Turkey. Still, the violence and assassinations in the United States during the politically turbulent 1960s took an emotional toll on Baldwin. After the assassination of his three friends—Medgar Evers in 1963, Malcolm X in 1965, and Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968—Baldwin suffered an emotional breakdown and eventually moved to the South of France to recuperate. In 1970, he settled in a house in the village of St. Paul de Vence, where he would live the rest of his life.
- During his years abroad, Baldwin returned to the United States frequently and considered himself a "transatlantic commuter." In 1955, he signed a lease for an apartment at 63 West 97th Street in New York, and from the mid 1960s on, he maintained a home at 137 West 71st Street in Manhattan. When Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968, Baldwin was actually living in California. Many of Baldwin's extended visits were to spend time with his large and beloved family and to participate in Civil Rights Movement events. He attended the March on Washington in 1963 and the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965. Baldwin also participated in literary events, such as the 1965 conference titled "The Negro Writer's Vision of America" sponsored by the New School of Social Research in New York. During his presentation, Baldwin addressed the conference theme, stating, "I know a story which America denies. And it denies it for the very good reason that my story, once told, confronts it with the truth about itself. In fact, my story, once told, will liberate America. The possibility of liberation—the necessity of becoming responsible for one's own life—is what most people most profoundly fear."
- Baldwin passed away on November 30, 1987, in his house in St. Paul de Vence after a short battle with stomach cancer. A week later, he was laid to rest at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City and buried at the Ferncliff Cemetery in New York. Family members and friends participated in a large service during which Toni Morrison, Amiri Baraka, and Maya Angelou delivered touching remarks about their friend and brother. Angelou stated that Baldwin's love "opened the unusual door for me, and I am blessed that James Baldwin was my brother."
- Literary and Civil Rights Timeline: 1924: Born August 2nd; 1938: Graduates from Frederick Douglass Junior High School, where his early ambitions in writing were encouraged by his teacher Countee Cullen, the Harlem Renaissance poet; 1942: Graduates from DeWitt Clinton High School, where he was a member of the literary club and edited the school newspaper The Magpie; 1944: Meets writer Richard Wright, who refers Baldwin's first draft of Go Tell It On The Mountain to Harper and Brothers publishing house; 1945: Receives a $500.00 Saxton Fellowship from Harper and Brothers; the first draft of Go Tell It On The Mountain is rejected by Harper and Doubleday; Baldwin begins writing reviews for The Nation and The New Leader; 1947: Publishes essay "History as Nightmare" in The New Leader; 1948: Publishes essay "The Harlem Ghetto" and short story "Previous Condition" in Commentary; Baldwin moves to Paris; 1949: Publishes "Everybody's Protest Novel," in which he critics Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin and Richard Wright's Native Son; jailed in Paris for eight days for theft (falsely accused of stealing hotel bed sheets); 1951: Publishes "Many Thousands Gone" in the Partisan Review; attack on Richard Wright leads to breakup; Baldwin completes Go Tell It On the Mountain in Switzerland, where he stayed three months with Swiss friend and lover Lucien Happersberger; 1953: Publishes "Stranger in the Village" in Harper's Magazine; the essay is based on his stay in Switzerland; 1954: Wins Guggenheim Fellowship; attends MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire; 1955: Attends Yadao, an artists' community in Sarasota Springs, New York; revises Amen Corner during Howard University rehearsals and publishes it the same year; also publishes the collection of essays Notes of a Native Son and an autobiographical narrative "Equal in Paris," about being jailed in Paris in 1949, originally published in Commentary magazine; 1956: Publishes Giovanni's Room with Dial Press; accepts National Institute of Arts and Letters Award and a Partisan Review fellowship; covers First Conference of Negro and African Writers and Artists at the Sorbonne, sponsored by Presence Africanize; 1957: Publishes "Sonny's Blues" in the Partisan Review; Travels to the South on assignment for the Partisan Review, where he interviews student protests and meets with Martin Luther King, Jr.; 1959: Awarded a two-year Ford Foundation grand to complete Another Country; Interviews film director Ingmar Bergman in Sweden; publishes essay "A Letter From the South: Nobody Knows My Name" in the Partisan Review ; apprentice on Elia Kazan's productions of Sweet Bird of Youth and J.B.; 1960: Covers sit-ins in Tallahassee, Florida; interviews student at Florida A & M; published "They Can't Turn Back" in Mademoiselle Magazine; Richard Wright dies suddenly; 1961: Publishes second collection of essays Nobody Knows My Name, Dial Press; publishes the essay "Alas, Poor Richard," another scathing critic of Richard Wright's work; appears on radio and television to promote Nobody Knows My Name and to speak about civil rights; meets Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X; completes Another Country; Swiss television produces "Stranger in the Village"; publishes the "Black Boy Looks at the White Boy"; makes first visit to Turkey at the invitation of Turkish actor Engin Cezzar; 1962: Publishes Another Country, Dial Press, and it becomes a national best seller; Baldwin travels to West Africa; "Letter from a Region in My Mind" published in The New Yorker, later printed in The Fire Next Time as "Down at the Cross"; 1963: Publishes The Fire Next Time to national acclaim; appears on the cover of May 17th issue of Time magazine; NAACP Field Secretary and friend Medgar Evers is assassinated on June 12 outside his home in Jackson, Mississippi; starts lecture tour for CORE in the South and the North; registers voters in Alabama for SNCC; wins Polk Memorial Award for outstanding magazine journalism; participates in March on Washington; travels to Nairobi, Kenya, with Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier to celebrate Kenya's independence; 1964: Elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters; publishes the play Blues for Mr. Charlie, Dial Press, and theater production of Blues for Mr. Charlie appears at the historic American National Theater and Academy (ANTA) in New York; publishes Nothing Personal with photographer and high school friend Richard Avedon, Atheneum Books; 1965: Debates William F. Buckley at Cambridge and receives standing ovation for his response to "Is the American Dream at the Expense of the American Negro?"; Malcolm X is assassinated in the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity; Baldwin attends Selma to Montgomery March; publishes Going to Meet the Man, Dial Press; The play The Amen Corner is performed in New York, Israel, and Europe; 1968: Publishes the novel Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone, Dial Press; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee; Baldwin speaks at the World Council of Churches in Sweden against apartheid in South Africa; testifies at a Congressional hearing in support of a commission to establish a national museum of African American history and culture; receives personal attacks from Soul on Ice author Eldridge Cleaver; 1969: Publishes New York Times article "The Price May Be Too High" about black writers in a white publishing industry; directs John Herbert's "Fortune and Men's Eyes" in Istanbul, Turkey; 1970: Becomes the subject of photographs and a short film From Another Place , both by Sedat Pakay in Istanbul; holds conversations with anthropologist Margaret Mead titled "A Rap On Race"; 1971: Baldwin and anthropologist Margaret Mead publish the transcript of conversations held in New York in 1970 in a co-authored book titled A Rap On Race; publishes "An Open Letter to My Sister Angela Davis" in New York Times Review of Books; moves to a house in St. Paul de Vence in the South of France; 1972: Publishes No Name In The Street, Dial Press; publishes the screenplay One Day When I Was Lost, based on Alex Haley's bestselling classic The Autobiography of Malcolm X .; 1973: Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates secures rare interview with James Baldwin and Josephine Baker together in James Baldwin's house in St. Paul de Vence, France; Baldwin appears with television host and poet Nikki Giovanni on "Soul," and the transcript is published as a dialogue; 1974: Publishes If Beale Street Could Talk, Dial Press; becomes the third recipient (after writer Tennessee Williams and dancer Martha Graham) of the prestigious Centennial Medal awarded to "The Artist As Prophet" by the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York; 1976: Publishes what would be his only children's book Little Man, Little Man: A Story of Childhood, with illustrations by Yoran Cazac, Dial Press; publishes the book-length essay The Devil Finds Work; 1978: Teaches a spring course in contemporary literature at Bowling Green State University in Ohio (returns in the fall of 1979 and 1981); awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Medal; 1979: Publishes Just Above My Head, his sixth and last novel, Dial Press; goes into seclusion after friend and mentor Beauford Delaney dies in March; teaches at UC Berkeley in the spring and speaks in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Barbara; begins writing and lecturing on black English; publishes "Open Letter to the Born Again" in The Nation; meets Chinua Achebe at the University of Florida, African Literature Association; travels throughout the South; 1982: Film makers Dick Fontaine and Pat Harley release television documentary of Baldwin' trip through the South "I Heard It Through The Grapevine"; 1983: Publishes selected poems in Jimmy's Blues, St. Martin's Press; teaches Afro American Studies at University of Amherst in the fall; 1984: Hospitalized for exhaustion; works on the play The Welcome Table; 1985: Publishes "Freaks and the American Ideal of Manhood" in Playboy; American Playhouse dramatizes Go Tell It On The Mountain; publishes The Evidence of Things Not Seen, Holt, Rinehart & Winston Publishing; publishes The Price of the Ticket: Collected Non-Fiction, 1948–1985, St. Martin's Press; 1986: Receives France's highest civilian recognition, the Legion of Honor; travels to the Soviet Union for an international conference and to London for a production of Amen Corner ; suffers fatigue and becomes ill; 1987: Returns to St. Paul de Vence and is diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus, which spreads to the stomach; grants his last interview to poet and journalist Quincy Troop in mid-November in bed at his home; dies November 30 and his friend and assistant publicly announces his death December 1; memorials are held in St. Paul de Vence and Harlem; is eulogized by Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Amiri Baraka at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York; body buried at Ferncliff Cemetery, Hartsdale, New York
- Scope and Contents
- The James Baldwin Collection provides insight into Baldwin's life as a writer and activist. The collection contains correspondence, photographs, manuscripts, and awards. A significant portion of the collection are photographs by photojournalist Frank Dandridge. The collection focuses on Baldwin's grade school educational career, his writing process, as well as his thoughts about social equality and civil rights.
- object type
- Archival materials
- topic
- Literature
- Architecture
- Civil rights
- Theater
- LGBTQ
- Activism
- Awards
- Education
- Communication
- Families
- finance
- Funeral rites and ceremonies
- Journalism
- Justice
- Mass media
- Photography
- Politics
- Poverty
- Race discrimination
- Sexuality
- Travel
- Identity