By Simone Seymour Biography Project Mrs. Taylor’s Class February 27, 2012

 Born Freda Josephine McDonald in St. Louis, Missouri on June 3, 1906  She was poor and wore raggedy clothes  Many say she grew up with the “St. Louis blues”

 Other kids were cruel to her so she acted like a fool to distract them  She made up new dances and made funny faces  This made her famous  People paid to see her perform

 Josephine became popular all around the world  She was especially loved in Paris  She served France during World War II by smuggling secret messages in her music sheets

 Josephine was not like many other female performers  She was extremely beautiful and passionate  Her costumes often reflected a connection to nature

 Josephine adopted children from all over the world  They called her children, “The Rainbow Tribe”

 Josephine missed her family back home  She surrounded herself with things she loved  She had a pet cheetah

 Josephine toured the world with her wonderful dancing and singing  She was famous for her rendition of “Blue Skies”  Josephine Baker died on April 12, 1975 in Paris, France.

Winter, J. (2012). Jazz age josephine. New York: Simon & Schuster. tml

…Mom for helping me with the presentation and buying me the book on Josephine Baker. …Mrs. Taylor for allowing me to do this project. …Class for your time and attention.