1928: Josephine Baker in Vienna

Dancer and singer Jospehine Baker was born in 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up in poverty. After her first appearances on Broadway in New York, she went to Paris in 1925 where she became a celebrated star as a result of her dance performances in the “Revue Nègre” at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. She became famous for her “banana dance”, in which she wore a skirt made of 16 bananas. Baker received international attention for her unconventional style of dancing paired with sensual physicality and bare-breasted performances. She was one of the highest earning female entertainers of the time and was considered the epitome of the flapper, an emancipated woman of the 1920s.

In February 1928, Josephine Baker was to perform at the Viennese Ronacher Theatre, sparking outrage from various circles. The idea of banning her appearance was discussed publically and even in parliament. The daily press spoke of a “n... scandal”, representatives of the Catholic Church organised special masses for the repentance of Baker’s “heavy sins against morality”, and Vienna's Nazi Party protested against her “obscene” performance and demanded she be banned from the stage. Due to public pressure, the Ronacher was not granted approval for the show. While management and promoters looked for a solution, Josephine Baker went to the Semmering to relax. The compromise eventually reached was that as of 1 March, Baker would perform for six weeks at the Johann Strauss Theatre (Favoritenstrasse 8, demolished in 1959/60) in the revue “In Black and White” („Schwarz auf Weiß“) rather than in a solo show. Baker returned to Vienna twice more – in 1932 for a celebrated performance at the Ronacher Theatre and in 1958 – but it was not the only city in which she was confronted with racism.

During the Second World War, Baker worked for the French Résistance. As a form of protest against racism she adopted 12 children of different ethnic and religious backgrounds. She supported the US Civil Rights Movement and was the main speaker at the 1963 “March on Washington” alongside Martin Luther King Jr. Josephine Baker died in April 1975 in Paris.