Broadside with 16 caricature figures representing celebrities of the world

Art Historical Context

This broadside by Juan Llorens, created around 1860–1870, features sixteen caricature figures of international celebrities rendered in wood engraving and letterpress. As a single-sheet print measuring roughly 17 by 12 inches, it represents a popular nineteenth-century format for mass-distributed imagery. The work blends portraiture with satire, using animal elements to comment on public figures and capture the era’s fascination with fame. Such prints thrived during a period of expanding print culture, when affordable wood engravings allowed humorous and critical views of society to reach wide audiences. Llorens’s composition reflects the lively tradition of caricature as both entertainment and subtle social observation, inviting viewers to recognize—and laugh at—the celebrities of their day. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1978 through the Max G. Wildnauer Fund, this piece now resides in the Department of Drawings and Prints, preserving a vivid snapshot of mid-Victorian visual wit.