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Description: | obverse design: sailor, German, standing facing right on a rock surrounded by water, symbolising the Kiaochow Peninsula,
supporting with his left arm a flagpole from which flies the German standard and holding a cutlass in his right hand. His right arm is
raised and his right leg kicks out in front of him at the scaly neck of a partially submerged winged water-dragon, symbolising Japan. The
dragon's right fore-claw grips the base of the flagpole. In the background two heads of partially submerged monsters emerge from the sea
and around the upper right edge text
obverse text: "DEUTSCHE WACHT"
reverse design: Japanese male, bust, full face, wearing traditional robes and holding in one hand a mask. At either side of the bust
elements of text and beneath the bust an ornamental dividing line and seven lines of embossed text
reverse text: "DEIN WAHRES GESICHT - VERWUNDERT UNS NICHT - WER IM SOLDE STEHT, MIT AUF BEUTE GEHT, BLEIBT, STATT GELB, MIT BEULEN BLAU-IN
DEUTSCH-KIA-TSCHAU"
exergue: the letters "K" and "G", positioned one above the other and equally dividing the date "1914"
This late 1914 satirical work by Goetz was directed against Japan, who having allied with Britain in 1902, declared war
against Germany on 23 August 1914. Japanese forces willingly assisted British units during the long siege of the German colonial oupost at
Tsingtau (on the Kiaochow Peninsula, China). The obverse text is translated as 'German guard' and the sardonic poem on the reverse as 'Thy
real face does not surprise us - he who is a hireling - is out for booty - remains instead of yellow - blue with boils - in German
Kiaochow'. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Subjects: | satirical China & Tsingtau Siege of & 27/8/1914 = 7/11/1914 commemorative First World War | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Goetz, Karl | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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