A woman surrounded by demons stabbing a man to death from a broadside entitled 'Horroroso Asesinato'
ca. 1880–1910
Medium
Zincograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 15/16 × 6 11/16 in. (12.5 × 17 cm) Image: 3 9/16 × 5 5/16 in. (9 × 13.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Roberto Berdecio, 1960
Accession Number
60.678.44
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th and early 20th, Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada, often in collaboration with printer José Sanchez, captivated audiences with his zincographs—inexpensive prints made from zinc plates that allowed for quick, widespread distribution via broadsides. These single-sheet publications sensationalized news events, crimes, and folklore for the working-class public in Mexico City. "A woman surrounded by demons stabbing a man to death," the broadside *Horroroso Ases* (ca. 1880–1910), exemplifies Posada's signature macabre style, blending stark social commentary with supernatural dram...
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...