Save Me from my Friends!, 1878. Artist: Joseph Swain

Save Me from my Friends!, 1878. The Ameer of Afghanistan stands between the Russian bear, jaws dripping with saliva, and the British lion with teeth bared. The quote from the Times newspaper below reads: 'At this moment it has been decided to invade the Ameer's territory, we are acting in pursuance of a policy which in its intention has been uniformly friendly to Afghanistan'. The Ameer had recently turned the British envoy Chamberlain away from the entrance to the Kyber Pass but had admitted the Russians to Kabul. He was asked to apologise and permit a permanent British mission which he refused to do, and so war began in November. From Punch, or the London Charivari, November 30, 1878. (Photo by The Cartoon Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)