The great pantheon of love

José Guadalupe Posada|Antonio Vanegas Arroyo

ca. 1910–15 (published) · Type-metal engraving and letterpress on green paper · Drawings and Prints

From the 1880s Posada made prints of calaveras (skeletons) that he circulated through broadsheets. They depict skeletons dancing, playing instruments, and illustrating rhyming ballads (corridos) and stories about love affairs printed on brightly colored paper to be sold by street vendors in markets, on the street, and at festivals. They were designed as a vehicle for telling stories to the masses. This print addresses themes of love and romance. Each of the twelve compartments contains an image and a short verse on a romantic subject such as a lovers’ tiff.

Artist

José Guadalupe Posada|Antonio Vanegas Arroyo

Date

ca. 1910–15 (published)

Medium

Type-metal engraving and letterpress on green paper

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1946