Broadside with 48 scenes depicting the misfortunes of a skinny man

Art Historical Context

In the bustling print culture of 1864 Spain, José María Marés crafted this captivating *Broadside with 48 scenes depicting the misfortunes of a skinny man*, a wood engraving that unfolds like an early comic strip across a single sheet measuring 17 5/16 × 12 3/8 inches. Produced through the meticulous technique of wood engraving—where fine lines are incised into end-grain wood blocks for sharp, detailed reproductions—this affordable print was designed for wide dissemination, bringing visual storytelling to everyday audiences. The artwork humorously chronicles the endless woes of its lanky protagonist amid urban settings filled with buildings, men, women, and even the sun, suggesting a parade of slapstick disasters from mishaps in crowded streets to weather-related blunders. Marés, a skilled practitioner of 19th-century popular graphics, captures these vignettes with lively energy, blending caricature and narrative sequence to poke fun at human folly. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (acquired via the Max G. Wildnauer Fund in 1978), this broadside exemplifies the era's vibrant tradition of satirical prints, offering both entertainment and subtle social commentary on the precariousness of daily life for the common folk. A delightful window into Victorian-era humor!

About the Artist

José María Marés · 1850–1870

José María Marés was a Spanish printer, publisher, and broadside producer active in Madrid from approximately 1850 to 1870. Operating first from addresses on the Calle de Relatores and later from the Plazuela de la Cebada under the imprint Imprenta de Marés y Compañía, he ran one of the more prolific popular-print establishments in mid-nineteenth-century Madrid. His presses produced illustrated br...