Spotprent op de Schnaebelé affaire before 1887

This is Willem Steelink's print referencing the 1887 Schnaebelé affair, a tense moment between France and Germany. The image responds to a period of intense nationalistic fervor. It reflects on the complicated dynamics between the two nations after the Franco-Prussian War. Here, we see an allegorical scene fraught with the anxieties of its time. A sleeping woman, representing France, is threatened by a bear, symbolizing Germany. The spider hanging above adds to the sense of looming threat. The woman is vulnerable, at the mercy of the looming figure. Steelink uses visual metaphors to comment on the political climate. Consider the emotional weight of this piece and the historical context of national identity and power. How does it make you reflect on the relationships between nations, then and now?