3-000-547 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, from Les Génies de la Mort, 1870. After the creation of the German Empire, Wilhelm I was named kaiser (emperor) of the unified German state. Edmond Guilliaume ironically gave Wilhelm a crown of leaves like an ancient hero, but that association is superseded by the rest of his face and body. Underneath his confident eyes lies a decaying skull, and his body is replaced by the rapacious, blood-sucking form of a bat. Combined with the nighttime destruction of the church in the distance, Wilhelm represents the very essence of the coldhearted, cold-blooded enemy.