Letters to Alex: The Genesis of Frida Kahlo's Voice on Disability Experience

Frida Kahlo has presently emerged to become one of the most prominent icons of the twentieth century. There are numerous resources available on the subject of Frida Kahlo. They range in content and variety from books and articles to web sites, fictional novels, plays and children’s stories, as well as films, audio, and video recordings. So widespread is the popularity of Frida Kahlo that quite often we may discover that the myth of what we think we know about her may frequently overshadow the reality. In contrast, with an eye towards determining the ever evolving nuances in the narrative of Frida Kahlo’s expression in her own voice on experiencing disability, this present evidence based study predominately draws upon the proof meticulously uncovered through a close reading of the existing body of Frida Kahlo’s Primary Source Documents originating from the period of her formative years, before and following the tragic event of her disabling street bus accident on September 17, 1925. Foremost among these will be the extensive collection of the Letters that Frida Kahlo authored to her first boyfriend Alejandro Gomez Arias, the body of which have only recently become available, as well as of the distinguished legacy of Frida Kahlo’s earliest recognized works of art.