View image in fullscreenThe Bull-Dogger, 1922Starting in the 1880s, Black performers and people invested in telling stories centering Black people attempted to counter the dehumanizing and harmful stereotypes used to portray Black charactersPhotograph: Robert Feliciano/Courtesy of Poster HouseShareView image in fullscreenZouzou, 1934Josephine Baker’s presence in all her films had a powerful international impact, bringing Black American culture as well as a multifaceted and sometimes contradictory version of Black womanhood to the screen.