美国国家公共电台 NPR Photo of entertainer Josephine Baker is one to appreciate at the Smithsonian

Photo of entertainer Josephine Baker¹ is one to appreciate at the Smithsonian

Transcript²

Curator Aaron Bryant recently spoke³ to NPR about some favorite Black photographic subjects in the Smithsonian's collection. He remembers a photo of Josephine Baker in France from the 1920s.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Aaron Bryant curates photography for the Smithsonian. He recently spoke with NPR about some of his favorite Black photographic subjects. An early image of performer Josephine Baker from the 1920s is high on his list.

(SOUNDBITE OF DICK HYMAN'S "CHARLESTON")

AARON BRYANT: But what we could see is a young Josephine Baker on stage with this art deco backdrop of a cityscape behind her, and she's doing the Charleston.

(SOUNDBITE OF DICK HYMAN'S "CHARLESTON")

BRYANT: You know, it's really amazing to think that talking about this idea of resilience and fearlessness and willingness to take risk - you have Josephine Baker, who just up and left and moved to Paris, France. I mean, you know, who does that? How easy would that be for us to do today? If you think about it, how easy would it be for you to do to just pack up everything or leave everything behind and go start a new life in a completely different country? And, you know, I even wonder, does she even speak French when she made the decision to leave?

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DIS-MOI JOSEPHINE")

JOSEPHINE BAKER: (Singing in French).

BRYANT: You know, I'm thinking this was happening during the Jazz Age. And, of course, France was instrumental⁴ in - no pun intended - in making - you know, bringing jazz to a global stage. Of course, it was African Americans in the military, in fact, who popularized jazz in France. And so by this time, you know, we're looking just several years after the end of World War I. And we have someone like Josephine Baker, who's making a name for herself. You know, it raises questions for me about, who is this woman? What was happening in France at the time, particularly in the context⁵ of race and gender⁶? And what was happening in the U.S., you know, her home? And what was her home life like here that she was willing to leave it behind?

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DIS-MOI JOSEPHINE")

BAKER: (Singing in French).

MARTINEZ: Aaron Bryant is curator of visual culture at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, talking about Josephine Baker.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DIS-MOI JOSEPHINE")

BAKER: (Singing in French).

1 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 instrumental   

adj.仪器的，器械的，乐器的，起作用的，有帮助的

参考例句：

• It is an instrumental work.这是一部可以用乐器演奏的作品。
• He was instrumental in catching the criminal.在捉拿那个罪犯的过程中，他起了作用。

5 context   

n.背景，环境，上下文，语境

参考例句：

• You can always tell the meaning of a word from its context.你常可以从上下文中猜出词义来。
• This sentence does not seem to connect with the context.这个句子似乎与上下文脱节。

6 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。