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Secondary sourcePainting29 March 1890

Dropping the Pilot

John Tenniel · 29 March 1890

A 1890 Punch cartoon showing Bismarck leaving the ship of state while the young Kaiser Wilhelm II looks on, marking his dismissal.

The cartoon depicts Bismarck's forced resignation as chancellor, shown leaving the ship of state.

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Engraving of the Punch cartoon Dropping the Pilot: an older man in a peaked cap and long coat descends a rope ladder down a ship's side, gripping a cane. Above, a young emperor in a crown and military uniform looks over the rail.
John Tenniel, Dropping the Pilot, Punch, 29 March 1890.

About this source

What it is

Dropping the Pilot is a political cartoon by Sir John Tenniel, published in the British magazine Punch on 29 March 1890. It shows Chancellor Bismarck climbing down from a ship as Emperor Wilhelm II watches from above, just ten days after Bismarck's forced resignation.

Why it matters

The cartoon captured, for a British audience, the end of Bismarck's long rule and the start of Wilhelm II's more independent control of Germany. It became famous enough that Bismarck himself was sent a copy and reportedly praised it. The image is still widely used in German history textbooks.

Look closer

  • What does the cartoon suggest about the relationship between Bismarck and the young Kaiser?
  • Why do you think this image became so well known in Germany as well as Britain?
  • What does a cartoon show that a document or photograph cannot?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Otto von Bismarck on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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