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Bismarck, from Les Génies de la Mort

A work made of color lithograph on ivory wove paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of color lithograph on ivory wove paper.

Date:

1870

Artist:

Edmond Guilliaume
French, active 1870s

About this artwork

Edmond Guilliaume’s images are blunt caricatures that combine well-known German symbols, war leaders, and macabre images of destruction. Otto von Bismarck became prime minister of the Prussian state in 1862 and of the unified German Empire in 1871. To a French audience, he was the cruel leader of the Franco- Prussian War (1870–71). With a skull head, pointed Prussian helmet, and Prussian eagle superimposed on his face, Bismarck looms like a poisonous, grasping plant over the destruction of the French countryside. Playing off a noble coat of arms, Guilliaume gave the French enemy a ghoulish image of death.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Edmond Guilliaume

Title

Bismarck, from Les Génies de la Mort

Place

France (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1870

Medium

Color lithograph on ivory wove paper

Dimensions

Image: 55.3 × 44.3 cm (21 13/16 × 17 1/2 in.); Sheet: 70.3 × 53.6 cm (27 11/16 × 21 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

Robert Chase Endowment

Reference Number

1992.753

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/119383/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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