Broadsheet with image of Saint Antony of Padua
ca. 1900–1910
Medium
Type-metal engraving and letterpress on buff paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 15 15/16 in. × 12 in. (40.5 × 30.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1946
Accession Number
46.46.314
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the early 20th century, Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada, in collaboration with publisher Antonio Vanegas Arroyo, created broadsheets like this one featuring Saint Antony of Padua. Produced around 1900–1910, this type-metal engraving and letterpress print on buff paper served as an affordable devotional aid for the working class. Saint Antony, a beloved 13th-century Franciscan friar known for his eloquence and miracles—including preaching to fish—holds immense cultural importance in Mexico, where he invoked as the patron saint of lost objects and the poor. Posada's bold, high-contr...
About the Artist
José Guadalupe Posada|Antonio Vanegas Arroyo · 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...