1914 Verlagsgesellschaft Union Serio-Comic Map, European 'Hunting Party'

A colorful 1914 German serio-comic chromolithographic war map produced at the start of the First World War by the Verlagsgesellschaft Union in Charlottenburg (near Berlin). It imagines the breakout of the war as a hunting party, with Germany and Austria-Hungary cowing its zoomorphic adversaries into submission.

A Closer Look

Presenting the European continent, Germany and Austria-Hungary are presented as capable soldiers hunting their enemies, a variety of animals. France is a gaggle of fleeing Gallic roosters and cats wearing Phrygian caps. Russia is a trio of subdued bears walking away towards Siberia. Britain is a humbled pack of dogs being fired upon by a German warship, perhaps a repartee to the popular contemporary British serio-comic map 'Hark! Hark! The Dogs Do Bark!' (previously sold by us). Belgium is a captured hare held up by the ears, while Serbia is a pack of wild boar (Schwein). A poem by one 'Dr. Storch' drives home the message of the map, explaining that 'when the master [Germany] took the rod' the animals were all tamed and would soon be confined again.

Other countries look on with a mixture of curiosity and excitement. A maiden standing in for Ireland is particularly enthused about events on the continent. Several countries pay close attention, including Italy, a member of the Triple Alliance that did not immediately join the conflict (and joining the Entente powers when it ultimately did). Some of the nations of the Balkans, where fighting in the preceding years arguably presaged the Great War, focus on matters closer to home. Japan, an ally of Britain that would soon besiege and then seize Germany's leased territory in Qingdao, China, is depicted as a 'cute monkey.' The Ottoman Empire is shocked and stupefied by the war, into which it would soon be drawn, in part through events referred to elsewhere on the map.

The SMS Goeben

The German battlecruiser SMS Goeben is illustrated off the coast of North Africa in the Mediterranean Sea. It and the SMS Breslau formed the Mediterranean Division (Mittelmeerdivision) of the German Imperial Navy, and were involved in one of the first naval engagements of World War I (1914 - 1918). Facing the more powerful Mediterranean Fleet of the Royal Navy, between August 4 and 10, 1914, the German ships successfully evaded the British - widely seen as a blunder by British naval commanders. The ships were able to escape to Istanbul, where the Ottoman Empire was still officially neutral (though in the process of negotiating a treaty with Germany). Since foreign warships were not allowed to transit the Dardanelles, the Goeben and Breslau were transferred to the Ottoman Navy but maintained their German commanders and sailors. Afterward, they played a key role in the October 29 Black Sea raids against Russia, which officially brought the Ottomans into the conflict. In retrospect, the botched British pursuit of the ships was one of the major events leading the Ottomans to join the war on the side of the Central Powers.

Chromolithography

Chromolithography, sometimes called oleography, is a color lithographic technique developed in the mid-19th century. The process involved using multiple lithographic stones, one for each color, to yield a rich composite effect. Oftentimes, the process would start with a black basecoat upon which subsequent colors were layered. Some chromolithographs used 30 or more separate lithographic stones to achieve the desired product. Chromolithograph color could also be effectively blended for even more dramatic results. The process became extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when it emerged as the dominant method of color printing. The vivid color chromolithography produced made it exceptionally effective for advertising and propaganda imagery.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by an unknown artist and published by the Verlagsgesellschaft Union in 1914. It is undated, but from context can be dated to the opening weeks of the conflict, likely early-mid August 1914. We are aware of two alternate printings, identical to the present map except for the publisher's name, which in one case maintains the Verlagsgesellschaft Union but adds 'G. Schiedermeier and Co.' in the margin, with the other alternate printing by Kunstverlag 'Junos.' In any case, the map is scarce, being held by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Leipzig, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, and Imperial War Museums (U.K.).