En posesión de su presa (In Possession of Its Prey)
A large lion labelled 'Inglaterra' lies with one paw on a woman in a sash marked 'Venezuela', who is sprawled on the ground; a sword lettered 'Crespo' lies beside them and a building marked 'Congres[o]' stands at the edge of the frame. The line beneath reads 'in possession of its prey'. Fear-appeal tell: the border dispute is drawn as a predator already devouring the nation, with the country shown as a helpless victim.
- Date
- June 2, 1894
- Period
- Pre-1914
- Made by
- El Diablo (Venezuelan satirical periodical), year IV, no. 87
- Region
- Latin America
- Country
- Venezuela
- Medium
- Cartoon
- Issuer type
- Media
- Regime
- Crespo Government
- Leader
- Joaquin Crespo
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Demonize
- Theme
- Empire and colonialism
- Event
- Venezuela British Guiana Boundary Dispute
- Techniques
- Fear appeal
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- Wikimedia Commons (reproduced from a Venezuelan school textbook), retrieved September 29, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (published Venezuela 1894, before 1931; Commons PD-Venezuela tag on file page)
El Diablo (Venezuela) year IV no. 87, 2 June 1894, via Wikimedia Commons
Text on the object
EN POSESIÓN DE SU PRESA [on the lion:] INGLATERRA [on the sash:] VENEZUELA [on the sword:] CRESPO. [on the building at upper right, cut off by the edge:] CONGRES[...]
IN POSSESSION OF ITS PREY [on the lion:] ENGLAND [on the sash:] VENEZUELA [on the sword:] CRESPO. [on the building at upper right, cut off by the edge:] CONGRES[S]
The word on the building is cut off at the right edge of the reproduction and is read as 'Congreso' only by inference.
