ticketsMember | Make a donation

Poster relating to the expropriation of foreign oil interests

Attributed to Alfredo Zalce Mexican
ca. 1938
Not on view
President Lázaro Cárdenas’s 1938 expropriation of foreign-owned oil companies (seizing local assets and barring outside oil companies from operating in the country) was widely supported but caused financial hardship for Mexicans, because the foreigners had to be compensated. In this poster a group of citizens holding coins gather around a contribution box. The hand in the foreground appears to belong to the viewer, inviting donations. The poster was sponsored by the Committee for Rural Education in collaboration with a related government department.



La expropiación de las compañías petroleras de titularidad extranjera ordenada en 1938 por el presidente Lázaro Cárdenas, que conllevó la incautación de sus activos y la prohibición de operar en el país, contó con un amplio respaldo, pero provocó penurias financieras porque hubo que compensar a los propietarios foráneos. En este cartel, un grupo de ciudadanos con monedas en las manos se reúne en torno a un cepillo para realizar donaciones. La mano visible en primer plano parece pertenecer al espectador, al que se invita a contribuir. El cartel fue patrocinado por el Comité Nacional de la Campaña Pro-educación Popular en colaboración con el departamento gubernamental correspondiente.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Poster relating to the expropriation of foreign oil interests
  • Artist: Attributed to Alfredo Zalce (Mexican, Pátzcuaro, Michoacán 1908–2003 Morelia)
  • Printer: Cooperativa de Artes Gráficas, Mexico City
  • Date: ca. 1938
  • Medium: Linocut and letterpress on orange paper, backed with linen
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 36 7/16 × 26 3/8 in. (92.5 × 67 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1946
  • Object Number: 46.46.491
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Friendship between the Confederación de Trabajadores de América Latina (CTAL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO)
Alfredo Zalce
1948
Portfolio of eight lithographs: 'Estampas de Yucatán', Alfredo Zalce Mexican, Lithograph
Portfolio of eight lithographs: 'Estampas de Yucatán'
Multiple artists/makers
1946
The Fisherman, from 'Estampas de Yucatán' (1946), Alfredo Zalce Mexican, Lithograph
The Fisherman, from 'Estampas de Yucatán' (1946)
Multiple artists/makers
1945
The seated woman, from 'Estampas de Yucatán' (1946), Alfredo Zalce Mexican, Lithograph
The seated woman, from 'Estampas de Yucatán' (1946)
Multiple artists/makers
1945
A woman and child in a hammock, from 'Estampas de Yucatán' (1946), Alfredo Zalce Mexican, Lithograph
A woman and child in a hammock, from 'Estampas de Yucatán' (1946)
Multiple artists/makers
1945

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.