On Christmas day of 1912 when Mukhina was staying at her uncle's place in the Smolensk province, she had an accident. While sledding down a hill, she crashed into a tree and her nose was severed by a twig. She had a surgery in hospital in Smolensk but the scars remained on her face for good. Moreover, her girlish delicate face looked very different after eight subsequent plastic surgeries carried out by French surgeons. It acquired a masculine look with rough and strong-willed features. This accident had a tremendous effect on Mukhina’s life and her future career.