This caricature map of what was then the North German Confederation shows Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, kneeling behind his prime minister Otto von Bismarck. Satirical political maps appear throughout cartographic history and gained popularity in the latter part of the nineteenth century. This is one in a series of twelve maps of Europe that depicted the political geography in human form. The idea for the maps originated from a young girl's drawings made to amuse her sick brother. Aleph, the pseudonym for William Harvey, compiled the map and wrote the verses that accompany them. According to his introduction, the illustrations were meant as a humorous, educational aid in the study of geography, rather than the political satire they became. Harvey's publication first appeared in 1869, published by Hodder & Stoughton with the maps printed by the firm of Vincent, Brooks, Day & Son.

References: Slowther (TMC-16) pp. 48-50.

Condition: B+

A few spots of foxing with a minor diagonal crease at top. There is marginal toning and soiling with a small chip in the right blank margin.