The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
"War to save German Culture" was subtitled 'Goethe, Beethoven, Wagner - in humble chorus - "How, Oh Saviour Krupp, how can we ever thank thee!"'. Will Dyson has depicted the figure of Krupp seated on a throne that consists of a howitzer and another field gun. Kneeling before him are the figures of significant men of German culture: Goethe, Beethoven and Wagner. Beside them, on the left, is a floral wreath, with notes of sympathy from Heine and Schiller attached to it. Behind the figure of Krupp are columns and a burning city and beside him are a pile of books, with titles 'Pay Book', 'Secret Service Ledger' and 'Diplomatic Petty Cash' on their spines. Gustav Krupp (1870- 1950) was a German diplomat who married Bertha Krupp, daughter of Freidrich Alfred Krupp, the arms manufacturer. Gustav Krupp took over running the company and by the beginning of the First World War had gained the monopoly on German arms manufacture. He manufactured a high angle heavy calibre howitzer, called 'Big Bertha' named after his wife. Johan Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832) was a German poet, novelist, playwright, philosopher and courtier. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer of classical music. Wilhelm Richard Wagner (1813-1883) was a German composer, conductor and music theorist. Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) was a German poet while Freidrich von Schiller (1759-1805) was a German poet, philosopher, historian and dramatist. The caricature is number 14 of a series of 20 produced by Dyson and illustrated in the publications 'Will Dyson's war cartoons' (1916) and 'Kultur Cartoons' (1915), expressing his strong anti-German sentiment and anger at the vanity and arrogance of the German military during the First World War. Will Dyson was the first Australian official war artist to visit the front during the First World War, travelling to France in December 1916, remaining there until May 1917, making records of the Australian involvement in the war. He was formally appointed as an official war artist, attached to the AIF, in May 1917, working in France and London throughout the war. His commission was terminated in March 1920.
Depicts a figure of a seated German officer, pulling on his boots, in a hotel room. He turns to yell at a buxom woman who has a worried expression on her face as she flees towards the door and away fr
Depicts a figure of a German officer, in uniform wearing a helmet and cape, looking behind him at a fire burning, while in front of him is a man holding a bill with the words 'Reply to America' on it.
This cartoon was published in 'Land and Water' 4 December 1915, in London, and comments on the German idea that the East had been made to take the place of Paris, Calais and Petrograd, Russia as the '
Depicts the figures of a Prussian officer, holding his helmet in his left hand, the female figure of Columbia, standing holding a sword and the female figure of Humanity, with wings and a small child
Depicts the dejected figure of Kaiser Wilhelm II slumped in his throne, overshadowed by the huge winged figure of Death, a skeleton wearing a robe and carrying a sickle. This cartoon was published in
Depicts a figure of a Prussian officer and a man, possibly the British Prime Minister, standing on top of a hill, with surprised expressions on their faces, while airplanes circle around them and over
