A Recap of the Myra Bairstow’s Myth Series

El Suicidio de Dorothy Hale

In the 1930s, Dorothy Hale was an actress, living in New York City. At age 33, on October 21, 1938, she was found dead on the sidewalk outside of her NYC apartment. Her death was ruled a suicide. On November 1, 1938, Dorothy’s friend, Clare Boothe Luce met famed surrealist Frida Kahlo at the Julien Levy Gallery. Clare hired Frida to paint a portrait of Dorothy as a gift for Dorothy’s grieving mother. Instead of a portrait, Frida painted an eerie rendition of Dorothy’s death. Clare was horrified by the painting, “El Suicidio de Dorothy Hale” and had sections of the canvas repainted. The picture was sent to storage for nearly thirty years. In the 1960s the painting resurfaced and was given to the Phoenix Art Museum by an ‘anonymous donor’.

Author and art scholar, Myra Bairstow became intrigued with the painting and began exploring the life and death of Dorothy Hale. Her research unearthed numerous mysteries and mistruths about Dorothy Hale. The following is a recap of Myra’s “Myth Series” that details Clare Luce’s inconsistent quotes and incorrect narratives about Dorothy Hale.

In Myth #1, we learned that Clare commissioned Frida Kahlo to paint a portrait of Dorothy for her grieving mother. Here is what Mrs. Luce said in Hayden Herrera’s biography of Frida Kahlo, “Suddenly it came to me that a portrait of Dorothy by a famous painter friend might be something her poor mother might like to have. I said so, and Kahlo thought so too. I asked the price, Kahlo told me, and I said, ‘Go ahead. Send the portrait to me when it is finished. I will then send it on to Dorothy’s mother.’ say: The inaccuracy with Clare Luce’s statement is that Dorothy’s mother had died when Dorothy was 16 years old. Dorothy’s father never remarried.
View: Myth #1

In Myths #2 and #3, we discussed the alleged suicide note left only to Clare. As Clare stated in Hayden Herrera’s biography of Frida Kahlo, “The only message she {Dorothy} had left in the apartment was a note addressed to me. She thanked me for my friendship and asked me to see that her mother, who lived in upstate New York, was notified so that arrangements could be made to have her buried in the family plot.” Again, the inaccuracy with Clare Luce’s statement is that Dorothy’s mother was not living when Dorothy died . In addition, Dorothy’s family never lived in upstate New York—they lived in Pennsylvania.
View: Myth #2, Myth #3

In Myth #4, it was continuously stated that Dorothy resided in a “top-story” suite in the Hampshire House in New York City. In fact, Dorothy lived at Hampshire House, but in a studio apartment on the 16th floor.
View: Myth #4

In Myths #5 and #6, Myra further explores the relationship between Dorothy and Roosevelt advisor, Harry Hopkins. In Clare’s interviews about Dorothy, she insinuated that Dorothy committed suicide after FDR ordered Hopkins to end his relationship with Dorothy. Interestingly enough, Dorothy was seeing another man before her untimely death. In interviews with Dorothy’s family members, Myra discovered the family believed that Dorothy was the one to break off the relationship with Hopkins.
View: Myth #5, Myth #6

In Myths #7 and #8, Clare expressed her distaste with Dorothy’s supposed lavish spending and did not want to attend the farewell party Dorothy was throwing for herself. Clare declined and told Dorothy to wear her “old Madame X black velvet” dress. last sentence--instead: Interestingly, Dorothy was hosting a party for Ambassador Laurence Steinhardt, not for herself. She was not wearing an old ‘Madame X’ dress, but a new dress she had recently purchased.
View: Myth #7, Myth #8

Myths Photo Gallery 

Clare Boothe Luce	Dorothy Hale
Frida Kahlo	The note from Frida to Clare Boothe Luce
Receipt for black evening gown	Portion of the Montreal Gazette
Harry Hopkins, TIME Magazine July 1938	FDR (left) with Harry Hopkins (right)

Dorothy Hale’s Farewell Party. Myth Number Seven

Clare Boothe Luce wrote that Dorothy Hale told her she was going on a very long trip to a secret destination and was giving herself a farewell cocktail party on the evening of October 20, 1938. Clare, explained that she had been annoyed at Dorothy’s financial debt and said ‘I’m sorry I can’t make your party. The thing you look best in is your old Madame X black velvet. Hope the trip lives up to your expectations.’

Dorothy was found dead the next morning. She had fallen sixteen stories from her apartment window at the Hampshire House on Central Park South.

Portion of The Montreal Gazette Oct. 22, 1938

On the evening of October 20th, Dorothy was not giving herself a farewell party. She was hosting a cocktail party in honor of Laurence Steinhardt, who would be appointed Ambassador to the Soviet Union in 1939 by President Roosevelt. In 1938, Steinhardt served as the United State’s Ambassador to Peru. (See image of Montreal Gazette clipping, "Dorothy Hale Dies in 16-Storey Fall" right)

According to Clare’s appointment book, she had a lunch scheduled with Dorothy on Friday, October 21st. If Dorothy was to leave the next day for her long, secret trip, it is peculiar she would have scheduled a lunch date.

Myra Bairstow
info@dorothyhale.com

Quotes and Passages from “Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo” by Hayden Herrera.

Clare Boothe Luce, Who Commissioned a Portrait of Dorothy Donovan Hale, said She Received the Only Note Left by Dorothy Before Her Alleged Suicide—or Did She? Myth Number Three: The Suicide Note (Part Two)

Clare Boothe Luce

Clare Boothe Luce gave an exclusive interview about Dorothy Hale and the painting entitled ‘The Suicide of Dorothy Hale’ to renowned Frida Kahlo scholar and author, Hayden Herrera. Mrs. Luce said, “The only message she {Dorothy} had left in the apartment was a note addressed to me. She thanked me for my friendship and asked me to see that her mother, who lived in upstate New York was notified so that arrangements could be made to have her buried in the family plot.”

As discussed in “Myth Two: The Suicide Note (Part One),” Dorothy’s mother died when Dorothy was just sixteen years old.

Several Inconsistencies in Clare Boothe Luce’s Account of Dorothy’s Family

In addition to Dorothy’s mother being dead at the time of her daughter’s death, Mrs. Luce said her mother lived in upstate New York. Dorothy’s family never lived in upstate New York. They were from Pennsylvania.

Quotes and Passages from “Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo” by Hayden Herrera

Myra Bairstow
info@dorothyhale.com 

Clare Boothe Luce, Who Commissioned a Portrait of Dorothy Donovan Hale, Said She Received the Only Note Left by Dorothy Before Her Alleged Suicide— or Did She? Myth Number Two: The Suicide Note (Part One)

Clare Boothe Luce

This is the story recorded in history: Frida Kahlo’s painting, “El Suicidio de Dorothy Hale” (The Suicide of Dorothy Hale) was commissioned by Clare Boothe Luce who said she received the only note left by Dorothy Hale before her alleged suicide. Mrs. Luce gave an exclusive interview about Dorothy and the painting to renowned Frida Kahlo scholar and author, Hayden Herrera. Here is what Mrs. Luce said, “The only message she {Dorothy} had left in the apartment was a note addressed to me. She thanked me for my friendship and asked me to see that her mother, who lived in upstate New York, was notified so that arrangements could be made to have her buried in the family plot.”

As I discussed in my previous post: “Frida Kahlo’s “The Suicide of Dorothy Hale” was Commissioned as a Gift for Dorothy’s Grieving Mother — Or Was It? Myth Number One”, I researched the life and death of Dorothy Donovan Hale beyond the one interview given by Mrs. Luce. I was shocked to learn that Dorothy’s mother had died when Dorothy was sixteen years old. I would later learn, after meeting members of the Donovan family, Dorothy’s father never remarried.

The note that Mrs. Luce said Dorothy left her before allegedly committing suicide, is another puzzling myth. Dorothy’s mother was dead at the time of Dorothy’s death. This follows the same inaccurate statement that was discussed in “Myth One” when Mrs. Luce said she commissioned the painting as a gift for Dorothy’s grieving mother.

When I first spoke to members of the Donovan family, they were perplexed and frustrated that Mrs. Luce had left behind these inaccuracies about Dorothy and her mother that are now recorded in countless books, articles and websites that chronicle the painting. As Dorothy Hale’s niece said to me many times, “My Aunt Dorothy deserves the respect of correct information.”

Myra Bairstow
info@dorothyhale.com

Quotes and Passages from “Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo” by Hayden Herrera

Frida Kahlo’s “The Suicide of Dorothy Hale” was Commissioned as a Gift for Dorothy’s Grieving Mother—Or Was It? Myth Number One

This is the story recorded in history: Frida Kaho’s painting “El Suicidio de Dorothy Hale” (The Suicide of Dorothy Hale) was commissioned as a gift for Dorothy’s grieving mother. Clare Boothe Luce, who commissioned the painting, gave an exclusive interview about Dorothy Hale and the painting to renowned Frida Kahlo scholar and author, Hayden Herrera. Here is what Mrs. Luce said, “Suddenly it came to me that a portrait of Dorothy by a famous painter friend might be something her poor mother might like to have. I said so, and Kahlo thought so too. I asked the price, Kahlo told me, and I said, ‘Go ahead. Send the portrait to me when it is finished. I will then send it on to Dorothy’s mother.’

Clare Boothe Luce

Initially, I never doubted the account of Clare Boothe Luce. In fact, I was moved by the thoughtful gesture of Mrs. Luce and I admired her sensitivity. One of her dearest friends, Dorothy Hale, had allegedly committed suicide. Mrs. Luce was very kind to think of Dorothy Hale’s mother and orchestrate a memorial painting of her late daughter. I was personally saddened and shocked when I learned otherwise.

What did Dorothy's Mother Think of the Painting that Clare Commissioned?

Again, it was not that I questioned Mrs. Luce’s account. Instead, I was drawn to the painting and wanted to know more about Dorothy Hale and her friendship with Clare Luce and Frida Kahlo. I wanted to know about Dorothy’s mother and what she thought of the painting. I began to explore Dorothy’s life.

I was stunned to learn that Dorothy Hale’s mother died when Dorothy was sixteen years old.

I would later confirm that Dorothy’s father never remarried and that Dorothy’s family did not know Clare Boothe Luce.

Dispelling the Contradictions and Myths Recorded about the Life and Death of Dorothy Hale

There are an enormous number of books, articles, and web sites that discuss the painting, “El Suicidio de Dorothy Hale” (The Suicide of Dorothy Hale). Understandably, they reference Mrs. Luce’s account and have recorded that the painting was commissioned as a gift for the grieving mother of Dorothy Hale.

Now is the time to correct the inaccuracies surrounding Dorothy Hale and the painting. As I lecture and also work on a book about Dorothy Hale and the brilliant Frida Kahlo painting of her, it is a pleasure to begin sharing my research and dispelling the myths told about her. Early in my research it was important to me to find the family of Dorothy Hale and listen to their story. It has been a privileged to know members of the Donovan family. As Dorothy Hale’s very own niece wrote many years ago: “My aunt deserves the respect of correct information.”

Myra Bairstow
info@dorothyhale.com

Quotes and Passages from “Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo” by Hayden Herrera

The Suicide of Dorothy Hale - Myths & Rumors

Beginning this month, Myra Bairstow will be addressing and dispelling certain rumors and myths regarding the life and death of Dorothy Hale - and the famous Frida Kahlo painting "The Suicide of Dorothy Hale" - in several blog installments.

We encourage you to submit your comments or myths to info@dorothyhale.com or simply comment in the comment area below or post on the Official Dorothy Hale Facebook wall at facebook.com/pages/Dorothy-Hale/296072857126402. If you're question is selected, we'll notify you and post your question and answer on the Official Dorothy Hale Blog.