This map, the work of the English illustrator John Henry Amschewitz, was published by the English publisher Geography in 1914.
Using caricatures and with a markedly propagandistic tone, Amschewitz depicts the stereotypes of the various European powers, as well as the military and political tensions before the outbreak of the First World War.
The title of the map, Kill that eagle!, is a direct reference to the German Empire, which is depicted with the imperial eagle. Pierrot is depicted next to it as a representation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Pierrot is an essential figure of Italian comedy, in which the tragic and the comic come together, which is perfect to serve as an iconography of what the Austro-Hungarian Empire was for many European countries: a mere pin cushion of the German Empire.
Russia can also be seen in the illustration, depicted with the classic grizzly bear, or Serbia depicted as a small barking dog. The rest of the countries appear with human figures, but with a clear intention behind each of them: France and Great Britain ready to attack Germany; Spain and Portugal observing from afar with neutrality; Italy with signs of indecision and ambiguity; or the Ottoman Empire focused on its internal crises.


