Guillermo Kahlo (born Carl Wilhelm Kahlo; 26 October 1871 – 14 April 1941) was a German-Mexican

photographer A photographer (the Greek language, Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographe ...

. He photographically documented important architectural works, churches, streets, landmarks, as well as industries and companies in Mexico at the beginning of the 20th century; because of this, his work has not only artistic value but also historical and documental importance. He was the father of painter

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, ...

Early life and education

Kahlo was born in

Pforzheim Pforzheim () is a city of over 125,000 inhabitants in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany. It is known for its jewelry and watch-making industry, and as such has gained the nickname "Goldstadt" ("Golden City") ...

Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918. It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subs ...

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

(now in

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, Germany), the son of jeweller Jakob Heinrich Kahlo and Henriette Kaufmann. His daughter,

, maintained that he was of Hungarian-Jewish descent. A 2005 book by Gaby Franger and Rainer Huhle traced Kahlo's genealogy, and stated that "despite the legend propagated by Frida," Guillermo did not have

Jewish Hungarian The history of the Jews in Hungary dates back to at least the Kingdom of Hungary, with some records even predating the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin in 895 CE by over 600 years. Written sources prove that Jewish communities lived i ...

roots, but was born to

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

parents who "came from families accommodated in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

and Pforzheim." He attended the University of

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

. His father paid him to travel to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in 1891 as he did not get along with his stepmother. In Mexico, Wilhelm adopted the Spanish equivalent of his name "Guillermo." In July 1894, he solicited Mexican citizenship.

Career

Kahlo's earliest known photograph is from 1897. His first project with Secretary of Finance

José Yves Limantour José Yves Limantour Marquet (; 26 December 1854 – 26 August 1935) was a Mexican financier who served as Secretary of the Finance of Mexico from 1893 until the fall of the Porfirio Díaz regime in 1911. Limantour established the gold standa ...

was in 1900. Kahlo usually used large glass plates that measured 8in x 10in to 11in x 14in. In 1901, he set up a photographic studio, working for ''El Mundo Ilustrado'' and ''Semanario Ilustrado''. He was commissioned by the government to do architectural photographs, probably his best work. He also took photographs of churches with other photographers for a six-volume survey in the 1920s.

José Vasconcelos José Vasconcelos Calderón (28 February 1882 – 30 June 1959), called the "cultural " of the Mexican Revolution, was an important Mexican writer, philosopher, and politician. He is one of the most influential and controversial personalities ...

published Kahlo's work involving the churches in 1923 through Mexico's Ministry of Education.

Personal life

Kahlo married Mexican-born María de los Dolores Eleuteria Clotilde Cardeña Espino in August, 1893. The night she died giving birth to their third child, he asked Antonio Calderón for his daughter Matilde’s hand in marriage. After the marriage, Kahlo sent his and Maria’s daughters away to be raised in a

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

. Kahlo and Calderón were the parents of seven children, including the painter

and

Cristina Kahlo Cristina Kahlo y Calderón (1908–1964) was the sister of artist Frida Kahlo. Frida painted a portrait of Cristina, titled ''Portrait of Cristina, My Sister'', and Diego Rivera, Frida's husband, also portrayed Cristina Kahlo in his work. Cristina ...

. Cristina was the only one who had children. Frida once commented that, in her childhood, she would sometimes be present when her father suffered from

epileptic seizures An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...

and would give him aid. Kahlo died on April 14 1941 in Coyoacán, Mexico City.

In popular media

Kahlo was played by

Roger Rees Roger Rees (5 May 1944 – 10 July 2015) was a Welsh actor and director, widely known for his stage work. He won an Olivier Award and a Tony Award for his performance as the lead in ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby''. He also rece ...

in the 2002 film ''

Frida ''Frida'' is a 2002 American biographical drama film directed by Julie Taymor which depicts the professional and private life of the surrealist Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Starring Salma Hayek in an Academy Award–nominated portrayal as Kahl ...

''.

References

*Coronel Rivera, Juan. et al. ''Guillermo Kahlo fotógrafo 1872–1941. Vida y obra''. CNCA / INBA. México 1993.

External links

Huhle, Rainer. "More than Frida's Father, Guillermo Kahlo as a Pioneer of Industrial and Architectural Photography in Mexico."

''Con especialidad en arquitectura''…
from the Revista Imágenes del

Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas The Institute of Aesthetic Research ( es, Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, since its foundation in 1936, research has been carried out in its installations into the different forms of artis ...

(in Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kahlo, Guillermo 1871 births 1941 deaths People from Pforzheim Mexican photographers Photographers from Baden-Württemberg German emigrants to Mexico Naturalized citizens of Mexico Frida Kahlo