The state of the war -or- the monkey-race in danger, James Gillray, 1799

French soldiers, puny simian creatures, are being destroyed or put to flight by the powers of the second coalition. In the foreground (right) the british lion devours a heap of the little creatures; others flee. An ogre in turkish costume (left), his profile set in a crescent, grips bonaparte in his left hand, raising a blood-stained scimitar. Bonaparte attempts to strike with a dagger; he drops a paper: 'organization of egypt, & triumph of buonaparte'. The russian bear sits grasping and crushing struggling french apes. On the right the habsburg eagle, clasping a sheaf of thunderbolts, flies off to the right, tearing a bonnet-rouge in beak and claws. A french army is in flight with a tricolour flag inscribed 'egalite'. Behind turkey are frenchmen impaled on spears. 20 may 1799 hand-coloured etching. Date: 1799. Dimensions: Height: 257 mm; Width: 362 mm. Medium: paper. Depicted People: Napoléon I, Emperor of the French. Collection: British Museum. The state of the war -or- the monkey-race in danger (BM 1868,0808.12525)