Frida Kahlo’s father was German, and her mother was Spanish and Indigenous Tehuana from Oaxaca, Mexico. The Tehuantepec region was matrilineal and women held power within families, society, and the marketplace. Kahlo celebrated this alternative to the Mexican patriarchal system and consciously constructed a mestiza persona through her hairstyles and clothing choices. She created a blended identity, simultaneously appropriating and reclaiming her cultures by pairing colonial Spanish jewelry with traditional huipil blouses or Chanel haute couture with an Indigenous jade necklace.
Candid images made between 1929 and 1945 showcase different sides of Kahlo’s personality and provide a broader context for understanding this iconic artist and historical figure. She demonstrates her active participation in the creation of these images by engaging the camera in different ways. In one photograph she is caught looking at herself in a mirror, indicating not only how she sees herself but also how she wishes to be seen.
Nickolas Muray made several photographs of his lover Kahlo that appeared in Vogue and other publications. These well-known portraits transcend Kahlo’s personality as an individual and instead present her as a modern embodiment of an idealized Mexican woman who possessed multiple identities.
Bernard Silberstein
American, 1905–1999
Frida with Flowers in Her Hair, 1940
Gelatin silver print
Throckmorton Fine Art, New York
[Artwork Description: A black and white portrait of Frida Kahlo. The photograph shows Kahlo’s head and shoulders against a fabric backdrop. Kahlo faces the view but looks to the left with a slight smile and her chin raised. Her hair is swept back from her face and a thick braid adorns the crown of her head. Dark flowers surrounding a light colored one top her hairstyle. Kahlo’s dark eyebrows join to create a V shape. She wears intricate tiered earrings and an ornate necklace with a dark patterned blouse. Behind her the fabric backdrop appears wrinkled and has prominent fold lines.]
Nickolas Muray
American, born Hungary, 1892–1965
Frida with Blue Satin Blouse, 1939
Carbon print
The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th-Century Mexican Art and the Vergel Foundation
Kahlo used dress, makeup, hairstyle, and jewelry as an extension of her art. Drawing from traditional hairstyles, she braided her hair with woven ribbons and flowers that add a sculptural element to her look. She blended styles of clothing and jewelry from different Mexican cultures and time periods, including colorful fringed scarves known as rebozos and Oaxacan traditional dresses, as seen in Frida Kahlo on Bench #5. In Frida with Satin Blouse, she wears a contemporary blouse and gold jewelry in the Spanish colonial tradition.
[Artwork Description: A vertical color photograph of Frida Kahlo showing her head and upper torso. She is positioned facing forward with her eyes focused directly towards the viewer. Her dark hair is parted at the center and is braided and pulled up with red fabric ribbon intertwined and tied in a bow atop her head. She is wearing a light red lipstick and her face is expressionless with closed lips and a direct gaze. Her short-sleeved satin blouse is deep blue with a rounded collarless neckline that lies about halfway between her neck and shoulders. The blouse is embellished with an embroidered floral design along the curve of the neckline that includes a green leaf pattern and pink flower buds. Larger pink flower designs with green leaves are located at each shoulder and to the sides of the bodice. A thick three-stranded gold chain necklace adorns her lower neck, with a round sculpted medallion hooked to the middle strand and the ends of the lowest strand hanging bolo-fashioned from behind the medallion, extending vertically down the center of her chest until cut off from view by the lower frame of the photo. Gold earrings hang from her pierced ears, each earring having a circular design similar to the necklace medallion. A u-shaped loop hangs below the rounded portion with several smaller gold loops hanging from it.]
Nickolas Muray
American, born Hungary, 1892–1965
Frida Kahlo on Bench #5, 1939
Carbon print
The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th-Century Mexican Art and the Vergel Foundation
[Artwork Description: Kahlo sits on a platform covered with a pleated white sheet in front of a wall with green wall paper with clumps of delicate white flowers with five petals, three green leaves, and a brown twig. Near the bottom of the background there is a white bench with a sculpture of a grape vine which is completely white. Kahlo sits on her knees on the bench and wears an Indigenous dress with a black rebozo with long thin black tassels along the bottom over her shoulders and forearms. The top of her dress is black in the center of the chest bordered on the sides and bottom with bright yellow fabric with red flowers and leaves printed on it. A red vine with red flowers with yellow outlines runs across the collar and a black strip with red leaves that runs through the bright yellow fabric a bit above her waist. Her skirt is black with small clumps of three white leaves and a blossom. The bottom has a wide strip of yellow with red diamonds and a series of multicolored triangles at the top. She sits with her hands in her lap, left hand gently resting around her right hand. She has long nails painted a rose color and wears a large ring on the third finger of her left hand. Her long dark brown hair is braided around the crown of her head. She wears a headband with six pink roses on a sky-blue headband. She wears large metal earrings that have small gold balls at the top and bottom. Her necklace is a twisted golden rope with two strands. The first strand sits high against her neck and the second lays at the top of her collar. There is a large round gold medallion and the two strands continue in vertical lines below it and continue to her waist where a heart-shaped pendant with a gold ball on the bottom. Kahlo sits straight, looking directly at the camera with her gentle brown eyes, with her bright red lips gently closed and dark rose blush on her cheeks. She has thick black eyebrows which connect across the bridge of her nose.]
Nickolas Muray
American, born Hungary, 1892–1965
Frida with Red Rebozo, 1939
Carbon print
The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th-Century Mexican Art and the Vergel Foundation
[Artwork Description: Frida stands in the corner, leaning her left shoulder against the beige wall. She is well lit from the left of the frame creating a painting like effect. Her head is tilted slightly to the right and she looks directly at the viewer. Her facial expression is soft. Her black hair is parted in the middle and braided with deep purple fabric creating a ring around the back of her head. She wears a thin metal headband with small white flowers and thick gold hoop earrings with a round ball in the middle. She has pink blush and bright red lipstick. A light mustache is visible above her lips and her eyebrows connect over the bridge of her nose. A small portion of her white necklace that appears to be made of bone or shells with small round beads separating larger flat beads is visible under her shiny magenta rebozo that is falls over both shoulders with rippled pleats. She wears a white lace shirt with a leaf and floral pattern and a purple pleated skirt with a lavender leaf pattern on it. Her nails are painted to match her rebozo. She wears a silver ring on the third finger on her left hand.]
Guillermo Davila
Mexican, 1898–1990
Frida, 1929
Gelatin silver print
Throckmorton Fine Art, New York
[Artwork Description: A black and white photo of Frida standing outdoors, in a shady spot amongst buildings. There is a little dappled sunlight across her midsection and lower skirt as well as light cast on the building wall behind her. The building walls are various shades of white and gray, and to her left appears to be a door or window. She is looking directly at the camera and has a stern look on her face, her dark hair pulled back and kept loose and low on her head. She has a dark necklace, delicate earrings that dangle and a form fitting white top with a scoop neck that is embellished with dark edging. She has on a long white full skirt, and there is a subtle pattern on the front that can be seen in the shadow.]
Edward Weston
American, 1886–1958
Frida Kahlo, 1930
Selenium-toned gelatin silver print
Throckmorton Fine Art, New York
Edward Weston described Kahlo as “petite” in size but not in personality. He wrote in his diary about Kahlo and Rivera’s visit to California: “Dressed in native costume even to huaraches, she causes much excitement on the streets of San Francisco. People stop in their tracks to look in wonder.”
[Artwork Description: A black and white portrait of Frida Kahlo shown in three quarter view, looking left while wearing a dark, striped shawl around her shoulders. Kahlo has light skin and wears her dark hair parted in the middle and pulled back. She wears large, dangling earrings and a neutral expression. The dark shawl loosely drapes over her shoulders and its fringe lays on her lap. Three graduate necklaces of oversized beads adorn her neck over a dark bodice. Kahlo’s hands are clasped in her lap, and she wears a ring with a light-colored oval stone on her left ring finger. She wears a dark, full skirt and appears to be seated. The background is bright and blurred, suggesting a stone wall or building.]
Imogen Cunningham
American, 1883–1976
Frida Kahlo, 1931
Gelatin silver print
Throckmorton Fine Art, New York
Kahlo and Rivera met the photographer Imogen Cunningham in San Francisco, where Rivera had been commissioned to paint two murals. Here, Kahlo is wrapped in a traditional rebozo (shawl) and wearing a heavy necklace of pre-Hispanic jade beads, typical of the way she used clothing and other aspects of daily life to demonstrate her commitment to the mexicanidad identity.
[Artwork Description: A dark black and white photograph of Frida Kahlo seated, looking directly at the camera with neither a smile or a frown. She has a light, neutral background behind her, and is seated on a dark chair with erect posture and her hands placed on her lap. Her dark hair is parted down the middle and is pulled up. She has earrings that dangle almost to her shoulders, a poncho that is very loose and drapes from her left hip across her body and tossed over her right shoulder. Her long skirt is a lighter shade and is also very loose.]
Lucienne Bloch
Swiss, 1909–1999
Frida Biting Her Necklace, 1933
Gelatin silver print
Throckmorton Fine Art, New York
[Artwork Description: A closely cropped black and white photo of Frida Kahlo with a white beaded necklace hanging from her mouth. She is seated on a wooden chair in front of a wooden frame. She has a loose fitting top draped over her shoulders with an open v on her chest. A necklace is tightly wrapped around her neck and that same necklace is the one hanging from her lips. She has smooth light skin, dark slick hair pulled back into a low coiled braid. Her face is at an angle to the camera and her left side is mostly in shadow. Her right eye is gazing directly at the camera. She has a round earring that dangles from her right ear.]
Lucienne Bloch
Swiss, 1909–1999
Frida with a Doily on Her Head, 1935
Gelatin silver print
Throckmorton Fine Art, New York
[Artwork Description: A black and white gelatin print of Frida Kahlo seated and shown from the waist up. She is wearing a form fitting jacket that is buttoned across her chest near the neckline. This jacket is abstract and spotted with a cowhide like pattern. She has a a piece of lacy fabric draped on her head that flows down both sides of her face as hair would. She is looking directly at the camera with pale skin, thick eyebrows, a touch of her dark hair showing at the crown and her lips in a neutral expression.]
Fritz Henle
German, 1909–1993
Frida Kahlo Leaving the Church in Coyoacán, Mexico, 1937
Gelatin silver print
Throckmorton Fine Art, New York
[Artwork Description: A square black and white photograph with Frida Kahlo in front of large black doors surrounded by stone walls with prominent columns and carvings. Frida wears a long black skirt, a patterned blouse and a wrap around her head and shoulders. Her arms hands are clasping the shawl near her neck and she is in the act of stepping up. The photograph is in vertical quarters. The furthest left is a stone carved column, then there is Frida, then the black doors, and finally the stone carved wall.]
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
Mexican, 1902–2002
Frida (Seated), about 1940
Gelatin silver print
Throckmorton Fine Art, New York
[Artwork Description: This stark portrait of Frida Kahlo shows her seated in front of a plain wall, next to a corner of a room. Her head contrasts with the white wall while the rest of her body is shown against a darker background. She faces forward with her arms at her side and her hands clasped in her lap. A necklace with two strands of heavy beads hangs against her chest, which is covered by a plain sleeveless top and a dark shawl thrown over her shoulders. A patterned skirt billows out, almost covering a plain white underskirt.]
Leo Matiz
Colombian, 1917–1998
Frida Kahlo on Stairs Looking Right, about 1940
Gelatin silver print
Throckmorton Fine Art, New York
[Artwork Description: Gelatin silver print of Frida standing on a flight of stairs. She stands with a straight back, gently leaning her left shoulder against the light colored wall that has a dark color on the bottom portion. She looks over her right shoulder, head held high, eyes almost closed. Her hair is braided in a circle on top of her head and she wears long earrings. She wears a long dress that has a long white lace neckline with two strips of darker ribbon at the top and bottom. Below the collar is a large portion of dark fabric with lighter colored geometric design. At the waist there are three thick dark horizontal ribbons with smaller white ones between. The pattern continues to the ruffled sleeves that have long white lace that ripples at the bottom, just below her elbow. The pattern repeats twice on the lower half of the dress and then ends with a solid black bottom. A black rectangular item with a flat black handle lies on the step behind her. A large vase with a plant with long, thin stems and giant leaves frames the image on the right.]
Lola Álvarez Bravo
Mexican, 1903–1993
Frida Kahlo, 1944
Gelatin silver print
Throckmorton Fine Art, New York
[Artwork Description: Along the left side of this black and white photo Frida Kahlo is seen in profile from mid-thigh up, leaning forward toward an arched mirror set into a rough plaster exterior wall. The wall, which forms the background of the whole image, is grey with black streaks and splotches, especially in the left top corner, and has some pock marks. Kahlo’s hair is in her trademark braids atop her head with ribbons woven into the braids in the back. Her highnecked black dress has a band around the throat with a light colored, plain inset bodice. Part of one arm is visible, jutting out from a puffy sleeve made of elaborate lace that covers the top part of the dress below the inset portion. The reflection in the mirror shows more of the dress with its plain black skirt, along with her face. Her eyes are downcast, lips pursed, in a contemplative gaze. Trees are visible in the background in the reflection.]
Lola Álvarez Bravo
Mexican, 1903–1993
Frida in Front of a Mirrored Wardrobe, 1945
Gelatin silver print
Throckmorton Fine Art, New York
[Artwork Description: Frida Kahlo stands with her back to the viewer in three-quarter profile as she gazes at herself in a large mirrored wardrobe. She is seen from mid-thigh up in a white skirt with a dark shawl wrapped around her shoulders and dipping down past her waist. Her hair is in traditional pinned up braids with a ribbon woven through it. Behind her on the light-colored wall is a painting. Additional pictures on the wall are visible in the view of the room provided by the mirror, which also reflects Kahlo’s face and the front of her body. We see her arms are crossed and resting on the closed shawl. The mirror is encased by a heavy wooden wardrobe that has an ornate carved molding on top. The wardrobe casts a dramatic shadow against the wall.]
Frida Kahlo
Mexican, 1907–1954
Self-Portrait with Red and Gold Dress, 1941
Oil on canvas
The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th-Century Mexican Art and the Vergel Foundation
Kahlo’s elaborately plaited hair is complemented by the colorful patterned fabric of her woven huipil blouse.
[Artwork Description: The letters “Frida Kahlo MCMXLI” are printed at the top of this painting with the word “Mexico” in smaller letters just below. Frida’s portrait fills the rest of the space. She is shown from the top of her head to the level of her collarbone. Her head is turned slightly toward the right so that only her right ear is visible. Her dark brown eyes are looking at the viewer. She has short, dark eyelashes. Her eyebrows are thick and dark and meet in a point at the center. Her nose slopes down to a rounded end. Because of the way her head is turned, only the right nostril shows. There are slight lines from her nose to the corners of her full, red lips that are set in a neutral expression. Her black hair is pulled back severely with a center part. Gray hair shows at her hairline near her right ear. Her hair is styled into a thick rope across the top of her head and ends in a thick braid. The braid falls from the top of the rope to behind her right ear, and then disappears behind her back. Her neck shows only to the hollow at her throat. Her skin is golden brown with a slightly darker shade of brown at her neck and a rosy blush on her cheeks. Only the shoulders of the dress show. It has a geometric design of red circles in small squares of gold and light brown. The background is a painted wall. It is a mottled reddish-brown color that is many shades darker than her skin.]
Frida Kahlo
Mexican, 1907–1954
Self-Portrait with Braid, 1941
Oil on canvas
The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection of 20th-Century Mexican Art and the Vergel Foundation
Kahlo depicts herself nude and surrounded by vines with large green leaves. Unlike other self-portraits that feature her Tehuana clothing, this work emphasizes the crown of braids and ribbons atop her head and the stone necklace reminiscent of pre-Hispanic cultures.
[Artwork Description: In this painting, Frida is shown from the top of the braid on her head to just below her breasts. Her chest and shoulders fill the width of the painting. Large green leaves with sharp serrated edges cover her breasts and peek behind her left shoulder. Her head is turned to the right so that we see only her right ear. Her eyes are looking slightly down and to the left. Thick black eyebrows meet between her eyes at the top of her nose which slopes to a rounded end. A shadow of a mustache shows above her bright red/orange lips which are set in a neutral expression. Her black hair is parted in the middle and pulled back tightly. A small triangle of hair shows behind her right ear at the nape of her neck. Balanced on the top of her head is a large reddish/brown braid. The braid is wider than and almost as high as her head. Small tufts of black hair escape the confines of the braid in a few places. Her neck is encircled with a necklace of iron beads that attach to an iron rod at her collarbone. Small mask-like shapes attach the rod to the beads. A thick green vine encircles her. It begins from behind the leaves at her left shoulder, disappears behind her back, appears over her right shoulder, curves behind a leaf, shows up again at mid-chest level, and then curves back down to disappear behind the leaves covering her left arm.]
Frida Kahlo wore a distinctive and vibrant wardrobe tied closely to her identity, both culturally and artistically. Derived from traditional garments throughout Mexico, Kahlo’s clothes celebrated her cultural and historical ties.
In carefully choosing her dress, Kahlo often made a political statement. Diego Rivera explained, “The classic Mexican dress . . . has been created by people for people.” The garments on display here are contemporary interpretations of Kahlo’s outfits.
Textiles sourced from Mexico and the United States. Materials include cotton, cotton-velvet, cotton-blend, industrial lace, silk, polyester, and ribbon.
Collection: Sully Bonnelly
[Artwork Descriptions of Clothing:
- Mannequin wearing a huipil, a traditional short, boxy tunic that slips over the head, in yellow and black plaid, bordered in red satin with colorful floral embroidery that creates U shape on the front of the bodice. The huipil is paired with a two-tiered, full circle skirt. The upper tier is light blue and is separated from the lower, darker blue tier by a strip of white lace. The bottom of the skirt is edged in the same white lace. A textured, mustard yellow rebozo or shawl is draped over the arms and a wide, pale blue, silky ribbon is tied on top of the head. A necklace composed of metallic Milagros charms in the shapes of legs and arms strung along with red beads encircles the neck.
- Mannequin dressed in matching huipil, a traditional short, boxy tunic that slips over the head and circle skirt in deep red with heavy yellow embroidery. Concentric rows of embroidery fill the huipil and create a deep border near the bottom of the skirt. The red fabric is printed with large, white polka dots and white open circles. The skirt ends in a deep ruffle of white lace. A muted orange rebozo or shawl is draped around the neck and shoulders while thick red yarn is entwined in the braided hair.
- Mannequin wearing a matching huipil, a traditional, short, boxy tunic that slips over the head, and full circle skirt of gray fabric with orange floral embroidery. The embroidery covers most of the bodice and a large swath of the circle skirt. A deep border of white lace finishes the skirt that ends at the ankle. Red artificial flowers adorn the head and a two strand necklace of earth tone, chunky beads that resemble stones are around the neck. A deep red rebozo or shawl is draped over the shoulders.
- Mannequin dressed in a burgundy circle skirt with a wide band of yellow near the hem. The yellow band is embroidered with large colorful flowers in orange, pink, turquoise and purple. The skirt ends in a deep ruffle of white lace. The torso is draped with a burgundy rebozo or shawl that is embroidered and appliqued with colorful floral motifs. Long silky fringe edges the shawl. The head is adorned with a large white lily surrounded by white roses.
- Mannequin wearing a matching huipil, a traditional short, boxy tunic that slips over the head, and a full circle skirt of bright pink fabric with embroidery on yellow insets. The huipil has a yellow U shaped inset that is embroidered with leaves, flowers and berries in greens, reds and purples. The skirt has a wide yellow band inset near the hem that repeats the embroidery from the bodice. A deep pleated ruffle of white lace finishes the long skirt. A resplandor, a starched, lace headdress that frames the face and drapes over the shoulders and upper chest suggests a halo around the wearer’s head.
- Mannequin is dressed in a below the knee length raspberry pink striped tunic over a white full skirt with a purple shawl on one shoulder. The long tunic alternated light and darker pink stripes with woven geometric shapes and patterns. Two rows of dark ric-rac trimming begin at the shoulders and continue to the hem. The woven purple shawl has a purple border with a gray-purple body. A heavy black beaded necklace or rosary extends to knee length and ends in a metallic cross.
- Mannequin dressed in a long red tunic and black embellished skirt. The long tunic is made of a red and yellow horizontal striped fabric with cream, blue and yellow accenting the red stripes. Wide yellow ribbon edges the jewel neckline and is tied in a bow at the front. Two more ribbons run from shoulder to hem of the tunic. A coordinating skirt is visible from about knee length down and is decorated with red and yellow plaid patterned fabric appliques over black with bright gold yellow embroidery below it. A narrow band of black skirt is shown above a deep ruffle of white lace. An overside red rose is placed at the mannequin’s crown.
- Mannequin dressed in matching purple and orange huipil, a traditional, short boxy tunic that slips over the head, and full circle skirt paired with white and light blue resplandor, that surrounds the face and covers the shoulders. The huipil and skirt have bright orange embroidery in deep bands on the mid to lower portion sandwiching a wide band of yellow and red geometric patterned fabric. A deep ruffle of white lace finished the skirt to ankle length. The huipil has similar embroidery work mostly covered by the resplandor. The resplandor consists of a ruffle that encircles the wearer’s face and head, this time in white lace. The headdress continues in turquoise blue lace and extends past the shoulders finishing in a deep embroidered and lace ruffle that comes almost to waist length. A floral arrangement of white and pink roses with greenery is placed over the resplandor at the crown.
- Mannequin dressed in a black circle skirt in deep black embroidered with colorful flowers paired with a red shawl and chunky necklace. The bright embroidery on the skirt begins just below hip level and continues to about knee length. A narrow strip of black is left unembellished, and the skirt ends in a deep white lace ruffle. A red shawl is draped across the mannequin on top and a chunky beaded necklace in earth tones hangs to mid torso length. Two large yellow roses are placed at the crown of the head.
- Mannequin dresses in a long, full, white tunic with diamond applique across the midsection, paired with a long full white skirt that reaches the ankles. The skirt features pin tuck pleating arranged in a diamond pattern that circle the lower portion below a row of five pin tuck pleats. A fringed shawl in a deep eggplant color with a woven geometric pattern is draped on shoulder. A chunky beaded necklace is gray earthy colors is comped of round and rectangular oversized beads paired with a shorter necklace in the same color and style, this time with a carved face pendant.