War images – and their meanings

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After Reims Cathedral in northern France was bombarded by the German army in September 1914, images of the damage were widely disseminated by the Allied Powers to neutral countries, including Switzerland. The cathedral became a symbol of German barbarism - 'Look! They don't even respect religion!' This card is bilingual - French and English - but there are few words: it is the powerful image that gets the message across. (www.14-18.ch) Nationalbibliothek,Bern

Who cares about subtlety? German emperor Wilhelm II was portrayed as the Antichrist by Neuchâtel caricaturist Pierre Châtillon. He is disguised in white (innocence) and the point of his helmet is hidden by a dove (peace), but his intentions are clear from the bloody blade and torch (the buildings in the background are ablaze). Many of Châtillon’s postcards were confiscated by the Swiss authorities and in April 1915 he was fined CHF1,000 by a military tribunal. (www.14-18.ch) Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek

In this 1914 etching, Neuchâtel artist Edmond Bille uses Swiss hero William Tell – often used by artists to symbolise national cohesion – to criticise the Swiss authorities’ closeness to the Central Powers. Tell and his son have turned their back on a mast featuring the flags of Germany and Austria and helmets of (from left to right) the German and Austrian forces and the kepi of Swiss general Ulrich Wille. Notice that the mountainous countryside normally associated with Tell has become a flat, deserted wasteland. (Fondation Ed. Bille)) Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek

"Enlisting the neutrals" by Zurich graphic artist Karl Czerpien for the August 1915 edition of Zurich satirical magazine Nebelspalter. The symbolism is clear, but the image reminds one that Switzerland was far from the only neutral country during the war. (Nebelspalter Verlag) Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek

Smile! A full-page image from the February 1918 edition of the Illustrierte Rundschau monthly, founded in 1917 by the British and printed in Zurich in German and French. "Manufacture and employment of British shells." (Swiss National Library) Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek

Don't smile! A posed photo on the cover of the German-backed weekly Illustrierter Kriegs-Kurier from 1918, showing a German stealth patrol. It was printed in Zurich in multiple languages, usually German, French and Italian, but also occasionally Flemish, Russian and English. (Swiss National Library) Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek

Good hosts: the March 1918 cover of the Illustrierte Rundschau. The picture is of a German soldier who had been captured by the British - and who appeared to be being treated in a civil manner. (Swiss National Library) Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek

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