Private collection
Date: 1889-1895
Technique: Relief print, 23.654 x 34.766 cm
José Guadelupe Posada (1852-1913) was born in Aguascalientes, Mexico and learned lithography and engraving in a local workshop as a teen. In his early 20s he worked regularly for his local newspaper, El Jicote, creating satirical political cartoons which often put him at odds with the governing class. After being forced to leave his hometown due to an altercation with a regional politician, he opened his own workshop, creating posters, advertisements and illustrations for several books and newspapers. His strong political stance, however, often kept him at a social disadvantage. Posada died largely forgotten and penniless.
Posada’s subjects ranged from the political to the religious to the banal. His satirical calaveras are dressed skeletons meant to represent the corruption of the Portiro Diaz dictatorship. His depictions of historical and religious figures such as the Virgen de Guadelupe also met with some recognition. He took a particular interest in the everyday activities of the markets and barrios in which he lived. While his calaveras are probably the best known of his work, they are now closely associated with the iconography of Dia de los Muertos, their biting political intention having been largely forgotten.
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