World War I Political Cartoons

Political cartoons from World War I portraying military figures, battles, and satirical commentary on wartime events and figures.

Cartoon showing a German sword with two moneybags impaled on it, representing loot taken from Brussels and Liege during the invasion of Belgium in the early days of the First World War. Date: September 1914

Progres des Allemands a Verdun, WW1 caricature showing Kaiser Wilhelm II measuring with compass the progression of the German army at the Verdun front in France

Cartoon - How That Salute Has Changed !. John Collins (1917-2007)

Cartoon - "As Ye Sow ...". John Collins (1917-2007)

World War One was to have a devastating impact on Russia. When World War One started in August 1914, Russia responded by patriotically rallying around Nicholas II. Military disasters at the Masurian Lakes and Tannenburg greatly weakened the Russian Army in the initial phases of the war. The growing influence of Gregory Rasputin over the Romanovs did a great deal to damage the royal family and by the end of the spring of 1917, the Romanovs, who had ruled Russia for just over 300 years, were no longer in charge of a Russia that had been taken over by Kerensky and the Provisional Government. By the end of 1917, the Bolsheviks led by Lenin had taken power in the major cities of Russia and introduced communist rule in those areas it controlled. The transition in Russia over the space of four years was remarkable - the fall of an autocracy and the establishment of the worlds first communist government.

Putting the heel in the right place! , Military personnel, Kicking, Emperors, Hirohito, Emperor of Japan, 1901-1989, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

Cartoon - Sedan is Avenged Rostap (1866-1949)

What Belgium Faced - This is one of a series of terrible pictures with which the Belgian artist Jean Domergue illustrated the Official Belgian Report of deeds actually perpetrated by the Germans in Belgium. Only deeds sworn to by the sufferer or some eye-witness are recorded in this awful report book. The picture here is of five farmers, who were driven into Lebbeke bound arm to arm and there had their eyes put out with sharp irons. Afterward, while bound and blinded, they were beaten.

A cartoon making light of the perils of life on the front line and the frequent need for surgical intervention to operate on soldiers. The Operator: "Ow will yer 'ave it cut" The Victim: "Without gas, please." Date: circa 1915

Cartoon showing a German sword with two moneybags impaled on it, representing loot taken from Brussels and Liege during the invasion of Belgium in the early days of the First World War. Date: September 1914

Munchausen, surprising artillerymen by arriving in their midst mounted on a cannon ball. From RE Raspe 'The Travels and Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen', first published 1785. Chromolithograph from a French edition c1850

Man salutes officer as he passes, then sweeps dirt onto his back , Military personnel, Saluting, Sweeping & dusting, Military facilities, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

Cartoon - A Corporal's Guard. John Collins (1917-2007)

A cartoon highlighting the threat of the German use of mustard gas a weapon of war. Dated 20th century

The war at home. Dimensions: Sheet: 21 1/16 × 12 3/16 in. (53.5 × 30.9 cm). Publisher: Issued by Connecticut State Council of Defense. Date: ca. 1917.World War I poster.See also: 1972.535.489. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

The American Suction Tank for drawing the enemy from his dug-out. An idea for a new form of weapon, based on a correspondent's suggestion to William Heath Robinson during the First World War. Date: 1918

Execution of Tsar Nicholas II and his Family at Yekaterinburg, 17th July 1918. (From Histoire des Soviets by M. Henri de Weindel by Sarmat, S. (active 1920s) / Private Collection / 1922 / France / Colour lithograph / History / Book design

Cartoon - The Wild Western Front. John Collins (1917-2007)

Man salutes officer as he passes, then sweeps dirt onto his back , Military personnel, Saluting, Sweeping & dusting, Military facilities, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

Front cover design for La Baionnette, an issue focusing on older soldiers during the First World War. Date: 1916

Camp - 67 mi. , Military personnel, Rifles, Military training, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

Cartoon - New French Foreign Legion. John Collins (1917-2007)

Cartoon, Cushy job. One soldier asks another: What do you pay the sergeant to get all the cushy jobs Date: 1917

Verdun. Le Jour de Gloire est Arrive, WW1 caricature by illustrator Cesare showing Marianne, national symbol of the French Republic at the Verdun battlefield

Black Cat Cigarettes, World war One, propaganda card showing: Van Tromp and De Reuter. 'So long as you permit Zeppelins to cross our land, you, surely, should cease to boast of our deeds.' Dutch naval heroes admirals Tromp and De Ruyter expressing their outrage at the Dutch government allowing German Zeppelins to fly over the country unchallenged. Illustration for The Great War A Neutral's Indictment

Cartoon - New Equipment for the Ottawa Commandos. John Collins (1917-2007)

Cartoon - They Can't Back Out !. John Collins (1917-2007)

French illustration characterising the national army 1905

Cartoon, Peeling potatoes. Three army cooks discuss methods of peeling potatoes, A machine has been invented to do the peeling, but it involves a lot of manual work and isn't worth the trouble. Date: 1917

I'm serving at the front with the - tank corps! Cheerio! , Military personnel, Beer, Military life, Military facilities, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

Cartoon, We've been spotted. Two young army cadets having a secret smoke realise that they have been spotted by an officer. Date: 1917

Picture series German Army III, Railway Regiment, digitally restored reproduction of a collectors picture from c. 1900

Back to the wall - Churchill John Bull figure, Commonwealth troops clambering over wall Artist Leslie Illingworth Catalogue reference: INF 3/1325 POLITICAL CARTOONS: 'Back to the wall' - Churchill/ John Bull figure with bayonet, standing against wall over which Commonwealth troops are clambering. Artist: Leslie Illingworth. Media/Technique: There are signs of a graphite underdrawing. Gouache appears to have been applied to thick paper. Possibly other media has also been used. Other media/information: Verso: Chinagraph pencil piece reference and a number in blue crayon. art, secondworldwar, veday, artarchitectureanddesign

Portada de la revista alemana Jugend. Viajeros en el interior de un tren. Año 1916.

General Gouraud escapes an assassination attempt on route from Damascas to Kunaitra, 1921. Artist: Unknown

cartoon by Edouard Bernard, depicting the French Parliament and Georges Clemenceau under siege from protesters. 1908

Cartoon - Another Guilded Missile. John Collins (1917-2007)

Front cover design for La Baionnette, an issue focusing on animal life on the Western Front. Date: 1917

030329-M-7262C-029. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Iraq (IRQ)

De Zwarte Vlek, 1886 print Leaf with 4 rows with performances of children playing a soldier and eradicating the black area around Strasbourg on a map and making French again. A caption under each performance. Numbered in the top left: Série 1. - No. 10. Paris paper letterpress printing tales and fairy tales. children's games and plays. the soldier; the soldier's life Strasbourg (France). Lorraine. As acece

Cartoon, Those lost in the war, showing carcases of horses who died in man's war. Date: 1918

King John, Act 5th, Sc. 3d. King John: How goes the day with us O tell me, Hubert. Hubert: Your majesty, the enemy are in retreat and on the field have left a great supply of Libby, McNeill & Libby's Cooked Corned Beef. King John: Ha! Say you so Strike up our drums and comfort my brave men with this good news.. King John, Act 5th, Sc. 3d. King John: How goes the day with us O tell me, Hubert. Hubert: Your majesty, the enemy are in retreat and on the field have left a great supply of Libby, McNeill & Libby's Cooked Corned Beef. King John: Ha! Say you so Strike up our drums and comfort my brave men with this good news.

Cartoon, Enigma. A French soldier says he doesn't understand it -- he's drunk nothing but Pinard (cheap wine or plonk) since the war started, and now he's got water on the knee! Date: 1916

Cartoon, German soldiers surrendering, desperately trying to attract the attention of the French army so that they will take them prisoner and get them out of the war. Date: 1915

Humorous postcard drawn by amateur soldier artist of the Great War, George Ranstead, who, in a series of illustrations suggesting what life might be like at the end of the war, shows a man peering intently at the rare sight of a lump of sugar, held in a strong room and protected by policemen - a wry look at the impact of rationing during the war. circa 1916

First World War (1917). Poster of the allied aeronautical industry by L. N. Britton. Drawing.

Cartoon - How It's Spelled in Wartime. John Collins (1917-2007)

Military Parade, Henri Gabriel Ibels, 1892 - 1893 print Design for the program of the theater performances A Bas le Progrès!, Mademoiselle Julie and Le Ménage Brésile (3rd Spectacle). Paris paper military parade, pageant. horn, trumpet, cornet, trombone, tuba - CC - out of doors

'Equally Matched', 19th century. Creator: Unknown.

We are giving these yellow bellied Japs what's comin' to them - and how! , Military personnel, Bayonets, Emperors, Hirohito, Emperor of Japan, 1901-1989, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

Red Army soldier shooting civilian young man

French colonial postcard showing occupying army staging a celebratory parade. Algeria 1906

Adolf Hitler (* 20 April 1889 in Braunau am Inn) ( 30 April 1945 Berlin), Leader of the Nazi Party, Reich Chancellor from 1933, also self-appointed "Fuehrer" and head of state of Germany

Cartoon - Still Waiting for Someone Else to Hold the Line. John Collins (1917-2007)

A page of humorous sketches on the subject of the East Coast bombardment of Britain during the First World War, from confused landladies not knowing what to do with their potential guests to old salts suspicious of a dachshund owner. Date: 1916

French Marine (n. - d.), Booklet of walking songs of the armored regiment of Fusiliers -Marins (attributed title), 1944. Paper, ink, metal. Museum of the Liberation of Paris - General Leclerc Museum - Jean Moulin Museum.

Series Genrebilder 5 (1873 to 1878) (Paris) a Liebig glass as a cannonball with youthful gunners, fired from a mortar, Liebig picture, historical, digitally restored reproduction of a collectors picture from c. 1900

Pay Day Aboard an Assault Transport. This image depicts artwork of Coast Guardsmen being paid aboard a Coast Guard-manned assault transport, drawn by Coast Guard Combat Artist John S. Gretzer.

Women admire the brave young men as they march away to death or glory Date: 1915

A perfectly impartial way of dealing with doubtful cases at the recruitment office. Bemused individuals are placed upon a roulette wheel in order to decide their future in Britain's army. 1918

Marshal Maurice de Saxe, Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745 (20th century). Fontenoy was a battle fought during the War of the Austrian Succession. Marshal de Saxe commanded the French army to victory over the British under the Duke of Cumberland. From an anti-British brochure titled Who has been the enemy of France through History The artist is unknown.

Wojciech Kossak (1856-1942), Carbonship courtship Canonier Faisant La Cour; Wisla Krakow); around 1910 (1905-00-00-1915-00-00);

Propaganda postcard - Germany - First World War Date: circa 1916

The Gratitude of the Kaiser and the People to the Army and Navy. World War I German poster 1916. Figure reminiscent of a Teutonic knight kneels sword in hand, a dove of peace with olive sprig in beak, rests on knights fist.

C'mon kid, it's work if you don't make it , Military personnel, Military facilities, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

Recruitment poster for the First World War, published in Dublin, 1915. Is YOUR home worth fighting for so JOIN TODAY. Husband, woman, baby and grandfather are surprised at home by the invasion of German soldiers with bayonets fixed on their heads

The reorganization of the army (IT)

Arrival of Colonel Marchand in Paris 1899. General Jean-Baptiste Marchand (2 November 1863 13 January 1934) was a French military officer and explorer in Africa. Marchand is best known for commanding the French expeditionary force during the Fashoda Incident.

Cartoon - Weapons and Famine Arthur George Racey (1870-1941)

Cartoon, Translation. French and German soldiers discuss their respective 'systems'. The system of 'getting by' which the French call System D, is known by the Germans as System K! Date: 1916

Cartoon - At Taranto, Italian Naval Doings Make the Old Man Laugh Arthur George Racey (1870-1941)

Patriotic Polish postcard depicting Piotrowiezowa (of the House of Michaels' Fall), a heroine of the January Insurrection at Lodz - 15th February 1863 - fighting against the Russians. She lost her life in the battle. Date: 1863

Cartoon - The Battle of Gettysburg. John Collins (1917-2007)

Recruitment poster for the First World War, published in Dublin, 1915. Your home is worth it, so you will become a member today. Husband, wife, baby and grandfather are surprised at home by the invasion of German soldiers with planted bayonets.

Cartoon - The Boys From Syracuse. John Collins (1917-2007)

Proposal for a 'caterpillar' tank - in World War One Date: circa 1916

Well, sir, it was my mother's idea , Military personnel, Military life, Military facilities, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

So long! , Military personnel, Farewells, Military facilities, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

Telling Tommies' tales Description: Correspondence from a staff member at the Great Western Railway office in Paddington, London, who went to war.

Front cover design for La Baionnette, an issue focusing on machines of war. Showing a French soldier wearing a grotesque-looking gas mask. Date: 1916

We're supposed to hit those targets! , Military personnel, Target practice, Ducks, Targets Sports, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

We'll blow the Jap off the map! , Military personnel, Artillery Weaponry, Globes, Emperors, Hirohito, Emperor of Japan, 1901-1989, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

Well, sir, it was my mother's idea , Military personnel, Military life, Military facilities, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

First Cavalry Division, 1950, U.S. Army

Wine grower firing a hail cannon to disrupt the formation of hailstones in the atmosphere, in the Beaujolais region of France. Illustration from French newspaper Le Petit Parisien, 1900.

Poster shows the ghost of a sailor with his arm around a soldier. He is pointing to a sinking submarine. Text encourages people to subscribe to the war loan. Dated 1917

Heck! Ya can't even dream in one of these , Military personnel, Tents, Military life, Military facilities, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

As he runs from a lion, a young negro considers that he would have done better to enlist in the army ! Date: 1920s

'The Rescue Army' , Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

World war Two, Soviet propaganda postcard depicting the retreat of the German invaders.

We got you spotted. Look out for air raids! , Military personnel, Birds, Umbrellas, Military facilities, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

The Battle of Te-li-ssu (Japanese: Tokuriji no tatakai), also called Battle of Wafangou after the nearby railway station, was a land battle of the Russo-Japanese War. It was fought at a hamlet some 130 km (80 mi) north of Port Arthur, Manchuria. The hamlet is known today as Delisi, and is located just north of Wafangdian, Liaoning Province, China. The battle was fought on 14-15 June 1904 between the Japanese Second Army under General Yasukata Oku and the Russian First Siberian Army Corps under Lieutenant General Georgii Stackelberg. Japan was victorious. Raijin is a god of lightning, thunder and storms in the Shinto religion and in Japanese mythology. He is typically depicted as a demonic spirit beating drums to create thunder, usually with a tomoe symbol drawn on the drums.

Christmas Greetings from the British Army on Salonika. 'Finish Johnny' - which alludes to the impending closing stages of the war and the desire (of the troops abroad) to be home as soon as possible. 1918

Cartoon - Off We Go into the Wild Blue Yonder. John Collins (1917-2007)

There are no enemies, 1895, Woodcuts, Color, Paper / Sheet 14 3/4 x 9 13/16 in. (37.5 x 25 cm)

Greetings to that old gang of mine - from the new gang , Military personnel, Singers, Military facilities, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

Reinforcements to guard the rear , Military personnel, Buttocks, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

We got you spotted. Look out for air raids! , Military personnel, Birds, Umbrellas, Military facilities, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

Is your home worth fighting for It will be too late to fight when the enemy is at your door, so join to-day. Poster showing a family at home, surprised by German soldiers bearing bayonets. chromolithograph 1915

Cartoon - News Item: German Troops Now Wear Armour. John Collins (1917-2007)

of 2