CHY 4U1 – Image Analysis
Age of Imperialism – The British Empire
Discussing the Illustration:
1. In this cartoon, England is portrayed as a huge devilfish. Why do you suppose the artist
added the top hat to this odd creature?
2. The cartoon is actually a way of picturing the entire British Empire in a single image. As
you can see, the devilfish has a large number of tentacles. What are the tentacles doing,
and what point do you think they are meant to make about the British Empire?
3. Britain’s victory at Trafalgar gave it a huge lead over all other nations in sea power. The
British held that lead throughout the 1800s. This cartoon seems to support the view that sea
power was crucial to helping Britain maintain its huge worldwide empire. How does the
cartoon support this view?