"China -- the cake of kings and... of emperors" (a French pun on <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:King_cake" title="Category:King cake">king cake</a> and kings and emperors wishing to "consume" China).  French political cartoon from 1898. A pastry represents "Chine" (French for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China" class="extiw" title="en:China">China</a>) and is being divided between caricatures of <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 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom" class="extiw" title="en:United Kingdom">the United Kingdom</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_II,_German_Emperor" class="extiw" title="en:William II, German Emperor">William II</a> of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Empire" class="extiw" title="en:German Empire">Germany</a> (who is squabbling with Queen Victoria over a borderland piece, whilst thrusting a knife into the pie to signify aggressive German intentions), <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_II" class="extiw" title="en:Nicholas II">Nicholas II</a> of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia" class="extiw" title="en:Russia">Russia</a>, who is eyeing a particular piece, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France" class="extiw" title="en:France">French</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne" class="extiw" title="en:Marianne">Marianne</a> (who is diplomatically shown as not participating in the carving, and is depicted as close to Nicholas II, as a reminder of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Russian_Alliance" class="extiw" title="en:Franco-Russian Alliance">Franco-Russian Alliance</a>), and a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/samurai" class="extiw" title="en:samurai">samurai</a> representing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_Japan" class="extiw" title="en:Empire of Japan">Japan</a>, carefully contemplating which pieces 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 to try and stop them, but is powerless. It is meant to be a figurative representation of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperialist" class="extiw" title="en:Imperialist">Imperialist</a> tendencies of these nations towards China during the decade.
<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>
1898-01-16
Bibliothèque nationale de France