Caricature, Chain of Friendship cartoon, public domain cartoon image

The original cartoon was published in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, in 1912 (4th December) and by the title "A threatening situation". It was drawn by Nelson Harding and published again in The World's War Cartoons (Blood and Iron). The Balkans in Caricature, ed. by T. D. Hadjich, London: Cecil Palmer & Hayward, 1916, p. 29 (online at State Library Victoria: http://digital.slv.vic.gov.au/view/action/singleViewer.do?dvs=1539686002409~477&locale=de&metadata_object_ratio=10&show_metadata=true&VIEWER_URL=/view/action/singleViewer.do?&preferred_usage_type=VIEW_MAIN&DELIVERY_RULE_ID=10&frameId=1&usePid1=true&usePid2=true). There it is explained as follows: "Serbia, having captured a port on the Adriatic, is threatened by Austria, who sees in the capture a gain for Russia. Russia promptly comes to the protection of Serbia and threatens Austria, whereupon Germany rushes to Austria’s protection and threatens Russia, and so on down the line."
In the WWW it is often found unter the title of "The Chain of Friendship" and interpreted as depicting the web of alliances of WWI, since it also depicts the diplomatic situation of Europe in July 1914.