Ballad (corrido) relating to Mr Grasshopper (a corrupt middleman) who exploits starving workers; he is being carried aloft by peasants

Taller de Gráfica Popular|Leopoldo Méndez

ca. 1940 · Zincograph and letterpress (photomechanical relief) on orange paper · Drawings and Prints

This is one of a group of flyers by Méndez that use a grasshopper (called Don Chapulín), destroyer and thief of crops, to represent corrupt middlemen who exploited farmers. Here, the grasshopper rides on the back of a farmer whose wife and child walk in front. The ballad describes the physical characteristics and corrupt behavior of the grasshopper. Esta estampa pertenece a un grupo de octavillas creadas por Méndez en las que un saltamontes llamado Don Chapulín —destructor y ladrón de cosechas— representa a los intermediarios corruptos que explotan a los campesinos. El saltamontes cabalga a lomos de un agricultor cuya esposa y cuyo hijo caminan delante. El corrido describe las características físicas y el comportamiento corrupto del saltamontes.

Artist

Taller de Gráfica Popular|Leopoldo Méndez

Date

ca. 1940

Medium

Zincograph and letterpress (photomechanical relief) on orange paper

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1946