Puck — March 13, 1878 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The New Alliance" - Puck, March 13, 1878 This cartoon satirizes an unexpected political alliance. The main image shows a anthropomorphic dog dressed as a Prussian/German military officer, smoking and gesturing dismissively. Behind stands a shabby human figure in a top hat. The caption "The New Alliance" combined with the German military uniform suggests this comments on diplomatic relations between Germany and another power around 1878—likely following the Congress of Berlin that year, which reorganized Eastern Europe after the Russo-Turkish War. The dog's prominent position and superior demeanor suggests Bismarck's Prussia/Germany is portrayed as the dominant partner in whatever political arrangement is being mocked. The human figure's inferior positioning emphasizes the satirist's view of the alliance as demeaning or absurd.