Caption: <i>“En Chine - Le gâteau des Rois et... des Empereurs”</i>, (eng.: "China - the cake of kings and... of emperors".)
<p>French political cartoon from <i>Le Petit Journal</i> published in <i>Le Petit Journal</i> Jan. 16th, 1898.
</p>
The cartoon is meant to illustrate the imperialist tendencies of these nations towards China: A cake representing China is being divided between caricatures of various foreign rulers. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_of_the_United_Kingdom" class="extiw" title="en:Victoria of the United Kingdom">Queen Victoria</a> of the United Kingdom and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_II,_German_Emperor" class="extiw" title="en:William II, German Emperor">William II</a> are squabbling over a piece, with the latter thrusting a knife into the pie to illustrate aggressive German behaviour. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_II" class="extiw" title="en:Nicholas II">Czar Nicholas II</a> of Russia is eyeing a piece, while the French <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne" class="extiw" title="en:Marianne">Marianne</a> is diplomatically shown as not participating in the carving, while being shown to stand close to Nicholas II, as a reminder of the Franco-Russian Alliance of 1894. The Japanese <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Meiji" class="extiw" title="en:Emperor Meiji">Meiji emperor</a> contemplates which piece to take. A stereotypical <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_Dynasty" class="extiw" title="en:Qing Dynasty">Qing</a> official throws up his hands but is powerless to stop the proceedings.
<bdi><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Henri_Meyer" class="extiw" title="w:en:Henri Meyer"><span title="French illustrator and caricaturist">Henri Meyer</span></a>
</bdi>
Cornell University Library Digital Collections, from Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection: <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:3293809">https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:3293809</a>