Henry Ford Hospital

painting by Kahlo

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 21, 2026

Quick Summary

Henry Ford Hospital is a 1932 painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. It is a self-portrait that depicts her miscarriage in Detroit. The painting shows Kahlo on a hospital bed in a barren landscape, bleeding. A red ribbon connects her to various symbols of her pain and loss, including a fetus and anatomical organs. This work is a raw and visceral representation of her physical suffering and emotional anguish, stemming from her inability to carry a pregnancy to term, a theme that recurred throughout her life due to injuries sustained in a severe bus accident in 1925. The painting is a powerful example of Kahlo's unflinching exploration of her own reality and pain through her art.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Frida Kahlo
Marriage to Diego Rivera and travels to the United States
In Henry Ford Hospital (1932) Kahlo depicted herself hemorrhaging on a hospital bed amid a barren landscape, and in My Birth (1932) she painted a rather taboo scene of a woman, shrouded in a white sheet, giving birth.
Read More
In Henry Ford Hospital (1932) Kahlo depicted herself hemorrhaging on a hospital bed amid a barren landscape, and in My Birth (1932) she painted a rather taboo scene of a woman, shrouded in a white sheet, giving birth.
Read More