We have documented so much of who Frida Kahlo was. Everything from her art style, to the importance of letter writing, to her queerness and disability have been discussed. But despite what you may know about the Mexican artist, you likely don’t know the sound and tone of her voice. That is until now – reportedly.
On Wednesday, la Fonoteca Nacional unearthed 1950s audio, where you can supposedly hear Frida reciting Retrato de Diego, which she wrote about Diego Rivera in 1949. The audio is part of a profile of Rivera by Álvaro Gálvez y Fuentes for the program El Bachiller. The program aired in 1955 – a year after Frida’s death – but the audio is from either 1953 or 1954.
Pável Granados, director of la Fonoteca, said that finding audio of Frida has been a difficult task. “Frida’s voice has always been a great enigma, a never-ending search,” Granados said at a press conference. “Until now, there had never been a recording of Frida Kahlo.”
It’s believed to be her voice, since the radio segment indicates it as such, but as El Financiero reports, further investigations will take place to reveal the authenticity of the audio. Some have already expressed their doubts to Granados.
Listen to the audio below.