A profile of a man with a large nose looking to the left
ca. 1880–1910
Medium
Zincograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 3/4 × 2 13/16 in. (9.5 × 7.2 cm) Image: 1 1/16 × 13/16 in. (2.7 × 2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Roberto Berdecio, 1960
Accession Number
60.678.102
Tags
Art Historical Context
This modest zincograph, titled *A Profile of a Man with a Large Nose to the Left*, captures the keen observational eye of José Guadalupe Pos, a pioneering Mexican print active from around 1880 to 1910. Created on a tiny zinc plate—measuring just 1 1/16 × 13/16 inches—the image exemplifies Posada's mastery of zincography, a lithographic technique using zinc sheets for affordable, high-contrast reproductions. These prints were ideal for Mexico's burgeoning popular press, disseminating art to everyday audiences amid rapid social change. Posada, often collaborating with publishers like José Sanch...
About the Artist
José Guadalupe Posada|José Sanchez · 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...