El Panteón de las Pelonas includes one of Posada’s most famous images, the Catrina. Once considered to be a criticism of the bourgeoisie, it was later interpreted to be a mocking of Mexican women who were adapting European styles and rejecting their own cultural heritage. With his calaveras, Posada tried to show that everyone is the same in death. No matter one’s social class, everyone dies equally. The image of the Catrina became Posada’s most recognized work, used in several different broadsides, and would later inspire artists such as Diego Rivera and art associated with Dia de los Muertos.
José Guadalupe Posada (Mexican, 1852-1913)
El Panteón de las Pelonas (The Graveyard of Bald Women), 1924
Broadside (recto), type-metal engraving on paper
Miami University Art Museum Purchase
2014.55.18a