Happy birthday to Frida Kahlo

On this day, 6 July 1907, Frida Kahlo (born Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo Calderón), disabled painter, communist, and one of Mexico’s greatest artists, was born in Coyoacán, Mexico City. Her father was European, while her mother was of Spanish and Tehuana descent. Major themes in Kahlo’s work include feminism, colonialism and Indigenous resistance, and imperialism. While living in the US, Kahlo played an active part in the socialist movement, and wrote to friends stating: “I’ve learnt so much here and I’m more and more convinced it’s only through communism that we can become human.”

More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10625/frida-kahlo-born

Pictured: Photograph of Kahlo by Florence Arquin, 1951