Michael Wolgemut
German, 1434-1519
City View of Florence, from the Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493
Woodcut on paper with vintage hand-coloring

Long before our era of immediate communication channels, the 1453 invention of the printing press gave humanity the ability to connect and communicate ideas and images like never before. Much like the internet, the impact of the printing press on Western civilization cannot be overstated. This illustration of Florence, Italy is from an early printed book known as the Nuremberg Chronicle. This technically advanced printed text contained pioneering illustration; it was massively popular. The contents tracked world history—through a Western lens—from biblical times through the 15th century. It offered authentic and invented imagery and information, bringing new ideas, cultures and locales to contemporary readers, spreading knowledge and sparking imaginations. Cities across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East are featured among the book's extensive illustrations. Travel at this time could be expensive and risky; printed materials offered ways to glimpse faraway places.