Inside Legendary Performer Josephine Baker's 'Banana Skirt' Experiment

Josephine Baker is the most innovative and controversial artist you've never heard of, and with some of the stunts she pulled, it's hard to imagine why. Forget Lady Gaga's meat dress; forget Britney Spears's snake necklace; forget Madonna's coffee table book — they all pale in comparison to Baker, who was a cabaret dancer with a flair for pushing people's buttons. Nearly a century later, historians still marvel at how she levied a sexy skirt made of bananas into social change and a side career in global espionage...

Easy Confidence

The first incredible skill Baker had was the ability to command an audience's attention — and to make it look easy. Without that talent, we'd never be talking about her today. She was completely comfortable in her own skin and wasn't afraid to show it off.

Showbiz Across The Pond

Although American audiences in the 1940s were segregated and uptight, and even cabaret dancers had to retain some level of coverage, Paris was far more relaxed. This was a stroke of luck because Baker had her sights set on the stage from the time she was young.

Baker's Background

But Baker didn't come from a family of dancers. She didn't even come from a family of artists. When she was born in St. Louis, Missouri, her name was Freda Josephine McDonald, and she grew up incredibly poor.

Working In Abusive Conditions

When Freda was 8, she began working as a household assistant to help her mother put food on the table. It wasn't easy work — she helped wealthy white families do laundry, and one woman burned her hands for putting too much soap in the wash. By age 12, she had dropped out of school.