Karte von Europa im Jahre 1870 & Karte von Europa im Jahre 1914

This uncommon pair of satirical caricature maps compare the political situation in Europe during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 and at the start of the First World War in 1914.

The 1870 map was drawn by Paul Hadol and originally published in Hamburg. It shows Germany as a bloated Prussian soldier in a pickelhaube reaching out to grab the Netherlands and Austria. France is a poor beggar looking for anything to fill his sack. England is a distracted woman trying to keep her leashed dog, Ireland, under control. Italy is trying to remove the Prussian boot from its shoulders, while Spain smokes a cigarette and reclines on Portugal, unfazed by the situation. European Turkey yawns and wakes up, while Asiatic Turkey happily smokes her hookah pipe. Russia, ignored by most of Europe, is represented as a hideous bogeyman, followed by a pack of bears or wolves. Text below the map provides details about each country in French and German.

The 1914 map was drawn by Walter Trier, a German-Jewish illustrator who was born in Prague, but ultimately fled Germany for Britain in the 1930s. His style is far more modern and surreal than Hadol's, though many of the tropes are repeated. Germany is still represented by Prussian soldiers, though this time they struggle to hold back aggressors on both fronts. France is now represented by a soldier, albeit a shabbily dressed one who still appears unprepared for war. Austria-Hungary is now a substantial soldier, pointing a rifle squarely in the mouth of the Russian giant which tries to consume Europe. Italy is once again a uniformed soldier, but now his loyalty is under question, having refused to join the Central Powers. Spain and Portugal look on from afar, largely unfazed by it all. England is a kilted soldier on a battleship with Ireland now an unleashed bulldog. Serbia, the cause of the war in German eyes, is a swine. Sweden looks on sadly from the north.

Both of these maps were issued together in Berlin in 1914 to raise money for the International Red Cross. 10% of the profits from every sale would be donated. Together, they make a fascinating pair of political satires.

Original colour. Laid down on original linen. [EUR1534]