Calavera of the Tailor

Art Historical Context

Step into the whimsical yet poignant world of José Guadalupe Pos's *Calavera of the Tail*, a striking graphic print from the Smithsonian American Art. Created by the masterful Mexican artist (1852–1913) and published posthumously in 1947, this work captures a skeletal tailor at his trade, in bony hand, surrounded by the tools of his profession. Posada,ailing from Aguascal and spending his later years in Mexico City, a pioneer of Mexican printmaking, using bold zinc relief techniques to produce affordable, satirical broadsheets that reached everyday people. Posada's *calaveras*—skeletons perso...