Three women in military dress in the photo, the portrait of General de Gaulle is visible behind them.
Seated in the middle, Commander Alla Dumesnil-Gillet, the superior of the other two within the “female air formations”, denotes by her cold gaze.
The image is from 1943, the world is at war.
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Joséphine Baker, a certain idea of France
Standing to his right, the attention of the second woman, whose name has been forgotten by history, is absorbed by the third: the eyes of Second Lieutenant Josephine Baker, beaming and smiling, dive straight towards the lens.
The photo is part of the documents presented Monday by the historical service of Defense (SHD) to the press to tell the resistance course of the Franco-American artist, a few days before his entry into the Pantheon.
It is a visible sign of his military commitment.
“
The war had struck his career,
” explains Géraud Létang, historian in the historical division of the SHD.
In 1939, the young woman with black skin, née Freda Joséphine McDonald, French
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