A child tipping over a table, his mother rushing to stop him
ca. 1890–1910
Medium
Type-metal engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 9/16 × 5 1/8 in. (9 × 13 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Jean Charlot, 1930
Accession Number
30.82.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the lively world of late 19th- and early 20th-century Mexican printmaking, José Guadalupe Posada captures a timeless domestic drama in *A Child Tipping Over a Table His Mother Rushing to Him* (ca. 1890–1910). This small-scale type-metal engraving, measuring just 3 9/16 × 5 1/8 inches, depicts a mischievous boy on the verge of chaos as his frantic mother intervenes— a snapshot of everyday family life rendered with Posada's signature bold lines and expressive energy. Posada, a prolific Mexican artist and illustrator, rose to fame through his affordable broadsheets and newspaper illustrations...
About the Artist
José Guadalupe Posada · 1852–1913
José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913) was a Mexican printmaker and engraver who revolutionized popular art and created some of the most iconic images in Mexican culture. Working primarily with publisher Antonio Vanegas Arroyo, he produced over 20,000 images during his career—inexpensive broadsheets sold for a penny on colored paper that made his art accessible to even the poorest workers. He transform...