José Guadalupe Posada’s Engravings of Unusual Births (ca. 1880–1910) – The Public Domain Review

As cultural critic Ilan Stavans writes: “Just as enjoyable and for me the most attractive is the Posada who transports us to a universe of Gothic, sometimes grotesque, magical and bizarre incidents, or Posada the anarchist, who deals with catastrophe, satire and death. Death, as far as I am concerned, is in fact his main occupation – not an existential, painful death, but a death that is irrevocable, social and egalitarian.” Posada’s “universe is full of bats, griffins, skeletons, animal hybrids, snakes, explosions, guns, demons, ghosts and deformities.” Perhaps these gruesome characters should be taken seriously in their own right, rather than just seen as a side chapter in Posada’s portfolio.