Touring with the image of Josephine Baker

I am currently reading a text titled "Josephine Baker in Art and Life," written by Bennetta Jules-Rosette, which traces the complex construction of Baker as a symbol of modernity reified through her existence in multiple forms of production in art and life. One interesting argument, that I thought would be most relevant to our class, is the idea that human icons can become touristic sites. Jules-Rosette argues in the text that on multiple levels Baker's life has become a constructed touristic site defined by what Jules-Rosette calls "symbolic relics"-- postcards, artwork, literature, costumes, touched objects, and buildings. As symbols, these relics are significant as vehicles fueled by the metanarrative of Baker's life. As the author argues, "Tourism encapsulates the memories of that terrain and of the people and places that are part of Baker's history. It is a mutable terrain that changes to fit the times and provides a flashback into Baker's past" (14). In viewing Baker's life as what Jean Baudrillard would conceive of as a "scenodrama," Jules-Rosette reveals the extent to which the touristic staging of Baker's life, which in drawing on theatrical elements of her "...scripts narratives, performances, and poses, [transforms] each of them into a touristic landmark" (43).