Abstract
Bismarck’s resignation in 1890 was a caesura in German history. His
death eight years later, on July 30, 1898, officially marked the end of
an era. On August 13, 1898, the British magazine
Punch commented on the passing of the
former chancellor with this rendition of a medieval funeral procession.
(This very same magazine had published the iconic caricature
"Dropping the Pilot" on the occasion of his resignation, which
is also included in this volume.) Representing the constituent states of
the German Empire, the pallbearers below carry the knight who had
unified Germany and set the country on its modern course.