BAKER JOSEPHINE: (1906-1975) African-American Dancer and Singer. A good signed 4 x 5 photograph by Baker, the ...

BAKER JOSEPHINE: (1906-1975) African-American Dancer and Singer. A good signed 4 x 5 photograph by Baker, the attractive image showing Josephine Baker alongside her husband Joseph Bouillon, both surrounded by eight of her adopted children and before a Christmas tree. The photograph bears to the lower white border the names of the eight children carefully annotated ''Jani - Brahim - Marianne - Axio - Moise - Jannot - Luis - Jean-Claude''. Signed in bold blue ink by Baker and in French to the verso `Souvenir from ''The Rainbow tribe'', Josephine and Jo. Bouillon´ Small overall minor age wear, mostly to corners. G Baker began adopting children while working with the Civil Rights Movement, and formed a family she often referred to as ''The Rainbow Tribe''. Baker wanted to prove that ''children of different ethnicities and religions could still be brothers.'' Her estate featured hotels, a farm, rides, and the children singing and dancing for the audience. She charged admission for visitors to enter and partake in the activities, which included watching the children play. She also raised them as different religions to further her model for the world, taking two children from Algeria and raising one Muslim and the other Catholic. Baker raised two daughters, French-born Moroccan-born, and ten sons from Korea, Japan, Colombia, Finland, France, Israel, Algeria, Coast of Ivory and Venezuela. Baker lived for some time with her children and fourth husband Jo Bouillon (1908-1984) and with an enormous staff in a chateau in Dordogne.