A skeleton wearing a hat, holding newspapers and running
ca. 1880–1910
Medium
Zincograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 7/8 × 7/8 in. (2.3 × 2.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Jean Charlot, 1930
Accession Number
30.82.39
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the spirited world of Mexican satire, José Guadalupe Posada *A Skeleton Wearing a Hat, Holding and Running* (ca. 1880–1910) captures artist's signature flair for calaveras—lively skeletons that poke fun at the living. This tiny zincograph, measuring just 7/8 × 7/8 inches, depicts a bony figure dashing along in a hat, clutching newspapers, likely mocking a frantic news vendor or hasty politician amid Mexico's turbulent Porfiriato era. ada, a pioneering printmaker, mastered zincography—a relief printing technique on zinc plates that enabled affordable, high-volume production for broadsheets ...
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...