Guillermo Kahlo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Guillermo Kahlo
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Guillermo Kahlo in 1920
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| Born |
Carl Wilhelm Kahlo
26 October 1871 |
| Died | 14 April 1941 (aged 69) Mexico City, Mexico
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| Spouse(s) | María Cardena, Matilde Calderón y González |
| Children | 7, including Frida Kahlo and Cristina Kahlo |
Guillermo Kahlo (born Carl Wilhelm Kahlo; 26 October 1871 – 14 April 1941) was a German-Mexican photographer. He is famous for taking pictures of important buildings, churches, and streets in Mexico during the early 1900s. His photos are not just beautiful art; they are also a valuable record of history. Guillermo Kahlo was also the father of the famous painter Frida Kahlo.
Contents
Early Life and Moving to Mexico
Guillermo Kahlo was born in Pforzheim, which was part of Germany at the time. His father was a jeweler named Jakob Heinrich Kahlo.
His daughter, Frida Kahlo, believed that her father had Hungarian-Jewish family roots. However, later research showed that Guillermo's parents were actually Lutheran and came from families in Germany.
Guillermo went to the University of Nuremberg. In 1891, his father paid for him to travel to Mexico. He didn't get along well with his stepmother, so moving was a good idea. Once in Mexico, Wilhelm changed his name to the Spanish version, "Guillermo." In July 1894, he became a Mexican citizen.
His Photography Career
Guillermo Kahlo's first known photograph is from 1897. In 1900, he started working on a big project with the Secretary of Finance, José Yves Limantour.
Kahlo often used very large glass plates for his cameras. These plates were usually 8 by 10 inches or even 11 by 14 inches!
In 1901, he opened his own photography studio. He took pictures for popular magazines like El Mundo Ilustrado and Semanario Ilustrado. The Mexican government also hired him to take pictures of buildings. These architectural photos are considered some of his best work.
He also photographed many churches with other photographers for a large six-volume book series in the 1920s. In 1923, José Vasconcelos, who was in charge of Mexico's education, published Kahlo's church photos.
Family Life
Guillermo Kahlo married María de los Dolores Eleuteria Clotilde Cardeña Espino in August 1893. Sadly, she died while giving birth to their third child. Soon after, he asked Antonio Calderón if he could marry his daughter, Matilde. After they married, Kahlo sent his daughters from his first marriage to live in a convent.
Guillermo and Matilde had seven children together. Two of their most famous daughters were the painter Frida Kahlo and Cristina Kahlo. Cristina was the only one of their children who had kids of her own.
Frida Kahlo once shared that when she was a child, she would sometimes help her father when he had epileptic seizures.
Guillermo Kahlo passed away on April 14, 1941, in Mexico City.
In Popular Media
Guillermo Kahlo was played by the actor Roger Rees in the 2002 movie Frida.
See also
In Spanish: Guillermo Kahlo para niños
- Porfiriato
- Casa Azul, the family home now known as the Frida Kahlo Museum
