On August 2, we hosted From The Vault: The Menagerie - Maps, Animals, and Political Cartoons

From The Vault is a biweekly event series showing collections objects selected by Leventhal Center staff. This week we looked at the intersection between maps, animals, and political cartoons. Depicting geographic locations as animals or animalistic caricatures of people, these maps often leave viewers on their own to make sense of their meaning. While these maps may not be the most helpful for getting around, they provide a fascinating window into the opinions of their creators and the common moods of their time. Animal symbolism can transcend language and cultural barriers, and these cartographers used their medium to make a statement that can be understood even in the absence of words. As these maps were frequently created to spread propaganda, we considered the choices they made to manipulate public opinion, who their target audience was, and what stories they were ultimately trying to tell.

Content Warning: The maps shown may contains offensive imagery. The collections of the Leventhal Map & Education Center and the Boston Public Library are shaped by nearly two hundred years of collectors, archivists, curators, and library administrators deciding what documents qualified as historically significant objects. What you see on historic maps reflects the attitudes of the people who created these materials—and this includes attitudes that we today consider offensive for the ways in which they may show stereotypical, demeaning, or inaccurate depictions of people and places. In our educational programs, exhibitions, and public interpretation, we try to show how and why certain representations of the world came to provide the dominant visual language of cartography.

Johnson, Riddle & Co. Horch! Horch! Die hunde bellen! : mit einer begleitschrift von Walter Emanuel = Hark! Hark! The dogs do bark! : with note by Walter Emanuel (1914)

In 1914 on the verge of WWI, Europe was a powder keg ready to blow. The humorous canine caricatures express countries’ attitudes towards the impending war: Germany is a dachshund chomping at the bit, Britain is a bulldog steadfastly warding off its territory, and France is an agitated poodle, reflecting the anxiety felt at the time. Published in London following the Battle of Mons in August, this map was produced by Johnson, Riddle, & Co. By portraying these nations in exaggerated animal forms, the map provides a playful yet pointed commentary on the tensions that precede war.

Frederic W. Rose Serio-comic war map for the year 1877 (1877)

The motif of the octopus frequents propaganda beginning in the 19th century, depicting countries as grotesque tentacled beasts grasping at land. Falling under the umbrella of satirical maps, this 1887 serio-comic war map charts the political climate in Europe during the Russo-Turkish war, a conflict between the declining Ottoman Empire and the Russians, seeking to expand and regain lost territory. With tentacles encasing Crimea, encircling the Black sea, and ensnaring the Turks, this map negatively reflects Russia’s desire for expansion. By portraying the remaining countries as human, British cartographer F.W. Rose alienates Russia; viewers of the map feel disconnected from the many-armed octopus, therefore making it easier to fear and hate the Russians.

Kisaburō Ohara A humorous diplomatic atlas of Europe and Asia (1904)

Mirroring much of the imagery in some of the other maps shown, this satirical map of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) was directly inspired by F.W. Rose and the idea of Russia as the “black octopus.” Though one originates from England and the other from Japan, both share similarities in the monstrous portrayal of Russia and the dynamic interactions of other countries. Ohara, however, expands further into Asia to many more countries, most notably Korea and Manchuria—areas that both Japanese and Russian imperial powers wished to control. The map’s pro-Japanese sentiment can be seen in its characterization of Japan as a soldier, free from the tentacles of the octopus and boldly facing its enemies with flag and weapon in hand.

Tsan Tai Tse and Dechen Liu Shíjú tú = Map of current situation in East Asia (1946–1950)

Early 1950s China was on the brink of massive reforms like the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, and the Chinese Communist Party utilized propaganda to fuel growing nationalism and Mao Zedong’s cult of personality. Prowling predators representing outside powers roam across this map, encroaching on China’s land and illustrating the threats of capitalism and imperialism in what its title refers to as the “current situation.” The rising sun symbol of imperial Japan reaches towards a figure while the American eagle soars below and the British lion patrols along the coast, reminding all of the disgrace of the Opium Wars and China’s century of humiliation.

Eugen von Baumgarten L’Entente Cordiale 1915 (1915)

In an attempt to reinforce the German propaganda aimed at mocking British expansionism, this 1915 persuasive map made by the Germans satirically critiques the Anglo-French alliance established by their 1904 Cordial Agreement. The cartographer’s decision to cast Great Britain as a spider with its webs extending all over France, North Africa, and even the United States in the background, reflects German criticism of Great Britain’s imperial ambitions as the principle cause of the war, getting nations in its web of influence to fight on its behalf. 

How does this depiction shape our understanding of the geopolitical tensions of World War I?

J.R. Silva Mapa Humoristico da Europa em 1953 (1953)

Created in the 1950s, this rare satirical European war map is said to be “out of its time” as it dramatically portrays the Iron Curtain at the height of the Cold War where many maps of this genre were produced before 1916. With its use of caricature and humor to comment on the tense political climate, the division between the Western and Eastern worlds is made clear. The Portuguese cartographers emphasized the absurdity of the world by portraying countries with exaggerated stereotypes, leaving viewers to think about what the fears and perceptions of the time are.

F. Klimesch Was von der Entente übrig bliebe wenn sie Ernst machte mit dem Selbstbestimmungsrecht iher eigenen Völker und die Zügel losliesse! = What would remain of the Entente if it took seriously the ‘self-determination right’ of its own nations and let go of the reins! (1918)

In light of President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Point Plan and the entrance of the United States into World War I, this 1917 German persuasive map mocks the Allied powers’ control over their colonies. The map features caricatures of the global powers, each holding reins tied to the lands they had colonized, symbolizing the tight grip they have on their reluctance to grant true self-determination to their territories. This imagery underscores the hypocrisy of the allies’ advocacy for self-determination—a principle that they are pushing onto Germany—versus their actual practices of maintaining control.