Description
Self-Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser is a work Frida Kahlo painted in 1940: she shows herself to the chest, with a crown of flowers in her hair, an earring shaped like a tiny hand and a thorny twig around her neck, while a white ribbon across her brown shawl carries a dedication to the San Francisco doctor Leo Eloesser. The original, oil on masonite, is 59.5 cm high and 40 cm wide and belongs to the collection of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Our painter transfers it onto canvas in oil colours, in one of 8 portrait sizes from 38 x 55 to 127 x 185 cm or made to measure; before the painting leaves us, we send you a photograph of it.
| Title: | Self-Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser |
| Other titles: | Autorretrato dedicado al Dr. Eloesser · Selbstporträt, Dr. Eloesser gewidmet |
| Painter: | Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) |
| Year painted: | 1940 |
| Original size: | 59.5 cm x 40 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Oil on masonite |
| Painting style: | Mexican modernism |
| Located at: | Lucas Museum of Narrative Art |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, 8 sizes or made to measure |
Self-Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser – Frida Kahlo
What does the self-portrait with the white ribbon show?
Her face is turned three-quarters and her eyes slide to the side, so she watches us slightly askance, serious and composed. Behind her are a grey sky with pink-tinged clouds and a thicket of broad brown and almost white leaves, pierced by bare twigs with tiny buds.
Her dark hair is pinned up in a high bun under a wreath of yellow, pink and wine-red flowers hung with small pearl-like drops. Her brows meet above her nose, her lips are red, and a white earring in the shape of a little hand hangs from her ear.
A thin twig with thorns circles her neck, and below it small drops of blood show on the skin. A wide shawl in warm ochre and honey tones fills the lower half of the painting.
Along the bottom lies a white ribbon, held on the left by a small hand with a lace cuff. On it a handwritten dedication gives the year 1940 and the name of Doctor Leo Eloesser.
Who is this self-portrait dedicated to?
Leo Eloesser was a doctor in San Francisco. Frida Kahlo lived in that city in 1930 and 1931 and painted portraits of new acquaintances there, his among them: Portrait of Dr. Leo Eloesser of 1931 shows him beside a model sailing ship.
The year 1940 was a hard one for her. She had divorced the muralist Diego Rivera the year before, and in September 1940 she travelled to San Francisco for treatment of back pain and a fungal infection on her hand.
Rivera was in San Francisco too; the two were reconciled, remarried on 8 December 1940 and soon went back to Mexico.
This self-portrait with his name on the ribbon dates from that same year; our sources do not say what led her to the dedication, so we do not guess.
Why does this self-portrait hold the eye?
Self-portraits are what Frida Kahlo is best known for. Her work is strongly autobiographical and often mixes reality with fantasy, and she is also remembered for painting the experience of chronic pain, which stayed with her for life after a bus accident at eighteen.
Much is packed into a small surface here: a calm, almost stern face, festive flowers in her hair and thorns that leave marks on her neck.
There is no separate Wikipedia article on this painting; for her life and work, read the Wikipedia article on Frida Kahlo, which is in English.
Where is the original kept today, and what is it painted on?
The original is in the collection of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.
Kahlo painted it not on canvas but in oil on masonite, a rigid board of pressed wood fibre, 59.5 cm high and 40 cm wide: a modest format made for close looking.
Our data on it come from the list of her works on English Wikipedia.
Our hand-painted copy brings this scene into your home in full colour, at a size that fits your wall.
This self-portrait or another work by Frida Kahlo?
This upright canvas painting in brown, ochre and grey, lifted by yellow and pink blossoms, suits warm wood, leather and linen, and a study or home library where it is seen up close.
If the thorn necklace speaks to you, look at Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird from the same year, where a black cat and a monkey sit at her shoulders. Also from 1940 is Self-Portrait with Monkey, with a small monkey crouched behind her shoulder.
Another self-portrait with a dedication is Self-Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky of 1937, where she holds a letter. Our Frida Kahlo page brings together all the famous Frida Kahlo paintings we paint to order.
How does our painter paint the flowers, thorns and ribbon?
Frida Kahlo worked in clear colours with firm outlines. Face and neck are smoothly blended; the sky behind is looser, its grey and pink clouds melting together. Our painter keeps that character but works on canvas rather than masonite.
First come thin layers for the sky, the leaves and the dark shawl; then the face and neck are built up until the skin has a warm, even tone.
Then the smallest parts follow: single petals, the drops in her hair, leaf veins, the thorns and the red drops beneath them. The handwriting on the ribbon is copied with a fine brush, stroke by stroke.
The result is a Frida Kahlo reproduction with real layers of paint, which no print can match. Every oil painting reproduction we make is painted for one customer alone.
Which size works on which wall?
In short: 38 x 55 or 42 x 65 cm for a narrow wall or a hallway, 54 x 81 or 60 x 92 cm above a chest of drawers or a desk, 80 x 115 or 88 x 131 cm above a bed or a sofa, and 110 x 165 or 127 x 185 cm for a tall wall or a stairwell.
We paint the self-portrait in 8 portrait sizes (width x height): 38 x 55, 42 x 65, 54 x 81, 60 x 92, 80 x 115, 88 x 131, 110 x 165 and 127 x 185 cm. Closest to the original are 38 x 55 cm, which is 2 cm narrower and 4.5 cm shorter, and 42 x 65 cm, which is 2 cm wider and 5.5 cm taller.
In the larger sizes her face becomes much bigger than on the original. As a painting for the living room above a sofa, 80 x 115 and 88 x 131 cm work best.
Can I choose another size or a frame?
The original is roughly 2 : 3 in proportion, so we can paint it in an unlisted size without cutting off the flowers at the top or the ribbon below. Tell us your preferred width and height on our page for paintings made to order, and we answer with the price and how long delivery takes.
It leaves us rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or framed, and the stretching and framing are done by our workshop in Slovenia. You pick the frame in our 3D app, which serves that purpose only; a view of the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
A dark walnut frame suits the brown shawl; a slim gold one echoes the yellow flowers.
When and how does the painting reach you?
The painter starts as soon as you confirm the order, and after 15 to 45 working days the self-portrait is ready to travel. Before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished painting; if you would like a change, the painter still makes it.
Parcels to Slovenia and every other EU country go through no customs, and our returns policy applies to each order.
With its personal dedication, it makes a thoughtful gift for a friend or a doctor. To let them pick the size themselves, a wall art voucher does the job.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the original of this self-portrait?
In the collection of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art; the museum can tell you whether it is on display.
Who was Leo Eloesser?
A San Francisco doctor whom Frida Kahlo had already portrayed in 1931.
Is this a print?
No. The painter makes every copy with a brush and oil colours on canvas, with no printing at all.
How big is the original?
It is 59.5 cm high and 40 cm wide; our closest size is 38 x 55 cm.
Can I order it in a different size?
Yes, we paint it in the width and height you choose and tell you the price beforehand.
How long will I wait for the painting?
Painting takes 15 to 45 working days, and within the EU the parcel goes through no customs.
Is it a good choice for a bedroom, or as a gift?
Yes, the quiet browns suit a bedroom, and the dedication on the ribbon makes it a very personal gift.
What does the thorn necklace mean?
There is no single reading. Frida Kahlo often painted her own pain, but the sources give no meaning for this work.
- Subject: Frida Kahlo with flowers in her hair, a hand-shaped earring and a thorny twig around her neck, above a white ribbon with a dedication.
- Original: 1940, oil on masonite, 59.5 x 40 cm, Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.
- Ours: oil on canvas, painted by hand to your order, in 8 portrait sizes (38 x 55 to 127 x 185 cm) or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: The dedication is to a San Francisco doctor whose portrait she had painted nine years earlier.
