Enrique Chagoya is a contemporary print maker based in California. He studied economics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City. During his time at the University, he was sent to work on rural development projects, an experience that strengthened his interest in political and social activism and later his work as a print maker. In the fall of 2009 he visited the Rosenbach Museum & Library. The focus of the visit was spent examining at some of the fourteen collectors’ volumes of Cruikshank which were purchased by one of the museum founders Dr. Rosenbach in 1929. These Rosenbach’s collection consists of 4,156 prints, 17 original drawings, issues of comic magazines and illustrated books.

Chagoya then selected Cruikshank’s iconic print The Head Ache as the focus of his project. For Chagoya, the plight of the ailing figure was reminiscent of President Obama’s healthcare “headache.” While this print project created a direct relationship between Cruikshank and Chagoya we invited the public to draw further parallels between these two artists by displaying their work side-by-side for three days in our program space.