“Henry Ford Hospital- The Flying Bed” (painting description)

In 1932, the artist Frida Kahlo made a painting depicting the death of her new born baby. The painting was titled “Henry Ford Hospital- (The Flying Bed)”. It shows a devastated Frida in a hospital bed naked, and in pain. Blood is splattered onto the white sheets of her bed, as she lies their crying in pain. The cords which seem to be either to her stomach, or tied around her hand shows the things which she has lost, along with her deepest pains, and longings.

Connected to the cord is:

-The fetus of her dead baby

-A painting of her body which at the time was progressively worsening, due to a trolley car accident she was involved in when she was young, and poorly operated surgeries.

-Piece of Frida’s eggs, where her unborn fetus once was, could also suggest that she was infertile.

-A machine which was used to help remove the still-born child, as well as clean her insides (Since back then we did not have more advanced machinery, especially in the 1930’s.)

-A placenta, which had once carried the child. Frida intentionally made the placenta look like a dying leaf, or a flower.

-Her pelvic-bone. When Frida was young before the trolley-accident she had just healed from the Polio virus. The progression of her injuries, could have been something to do with the Virus. The pelvic bone, I believe signifies the pain she felt from the spine, and how she felt that her body may have resulted in her miscarriage.

Painting shows physical, and emotional pain she experienced during the eventful time. Frida Khalid, is one of my favorite painters, alongside Salvador Dalí.