A wild rush through the night sky, hair streaming and cloak billowing, is the first thing to grip the viewer in A Witch on Her Broom by José Guadalupe Posada. The witch’s figure, rendered in bold, almost caricatured lines, commands the center of the print, her body hunched forward in determined flight. The moon hangs to her right, a silent witness to her journey, while a flock of bats or birds wheels behind her, amplifying the sense of movement and nocturnal mischief.

Below, a row of rooftops and spires anchors the scene to earth, making her airborne defiance all the more striking. This print belongs to a world where folklore and the supernatural were not just entertainment but a form of social commentary. Created sometime between 1880 and 1910, its stark contrasts and energetic lines are hallmarks of the popular print culture that flourished in Mexico during this period. Posada is renowned for his satirical engravings and his ability to distill complex social anxieties into instantly recognizable images.

Prints like this were widely circulated, often sold cheaply to the public, and served as both amusement and warning. Few traces remain of the individual histories of such prints, but their spirit endures—inviting us to look again at the witch’s wild ride and wonder what, or whom, she might be fleeing or pursuing.