National Women's History Museum's Photos
Josephine Baker was a jazz performer who traveled across Europe and America from the 1920s to the 1940s. During World War II Baker worked as an undercover operative in the French resistance, often smuggling military intelligence reports that had been written in invisible ink on her sheet music. She performed for both American and French troops around Europe, which provided an excellent cover for her operative activities. After the war, she got involved in the Civil Rights Movement and refused to perform for segregated audiences.