Original lead plates

Original prints and plates by José Guadalupe Posada

An original Posada engraving is, above all, a plate: a metal plate (mostly a lead alloy) mounted on a wooden block so that it stood at the same height as the printing type. That way the image could be set alongside the text and everything inked at once.

Posada worked in relief: he cut the metal away around the lines so that only the drawing took the ink. The image was engraved in reverse so that it would print the right way round. With use, many plates wore out, were lost or were melted down to reuse the metal; that is why the surviving ones are so valuable.

The MUNAG holds original plates by José Guadalupe Posada with scenes of calaveras, pulquerías, fondas and characters from everyday life, along with prints of the period. They are original pieces, not reproductions, and each has its own inventory number.

Click any piece to see its record, its photographs in full size and its dimensions.