Profile of a man looking to the right

Art Historical Context

This intimate type-metal engraving, titled *Profile of a Man Looking the Right*, captures a, side-view portrait of a man, attributed to the prolific Mexican printmaker José Guadalupeada (with possible involvement from José Sanchez). Created around 1880–1910, it exemplifies Posada's mastery of relief printing techniques on type-metal—a durable alloy typically used for typesetting. This medium allowed for inexpensive, high-volume production, making his works accessible to everyday audiences through newspapers, broadsheets, andbooks during Mexico's Porfiriato era. Posada, a pioneer of Mexican graphic satire, often depicted everyday people with sharp social commentary, though this minimalist profile emphasizes human form and expression over narrative excess. The small scale—image just 3 1/16 × 2 3/8 inches—highlights the precision of engraving, where lines are incised into metal for inked impressions, evoking the era's burgeoning print culture amid political upheaval and modernization. Now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (gift of Roberto Berdecio, 1960), this piece reflects Posada's enduring influence on folk art and later Mexican muralists, inviting visitors to ponder the anonymous subject's gaze into an uncertain future.

About the Artist

José Sanchez|José Guadalupe Posada (Mexican|Mexican) · 1895 |1851 –1910 |1913

Mexican, active ca. 1900–1910|Mexican, 1851–1913