A pair of workers atop a pile of rubble and other workers watching them
ca. 1880–1910
Medium
Type-metal engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 1 9/16 × 4 3/4 in. (4 × 12 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Jean Charlot, 1930
Accession Number
30.82.56
Tags
Art Historical Context
José Guadalupe Posada, a Mexican printmaker active from the late 19th to early 20th century, the grit of everyday life in this type-metal engraving, titled *A pair of workers atop a pile rubble and other workers watching* (ca. 1880–1910). The small-scale print (just 1 9/16 × 4 3/4 in.) depicts a group of laborers amid urban debris, with two men perched precariously on a mound while others gaze upward. Posada's bold, economical lines evoke the chaos of construction or disaster recovery, reflecting Mexico's rapid modernization during the Porfiriato era. Renowned for his satirical broadsheets an...
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...