Visual media had a decisive impact on how the past was perceived in historicist culture in nineteenth-century Germany. The panorama, photography, and book illustrations can portray the past under the auspices of spatiality. Research on historicist culture often neglects this dimension of space and concentrates on traditional historicist paradigms, such as temporality, narrative, and teleology. By investigating the visual vocabulary of different historicist genres (academic historiography, illustrated history books, historical maps), this volume expands an understanding of German historicist culture as a multi-medial phenomenon, and shows that past is conveyed in spatial forms, such as travel locations, national and colonial spaces, as well as geographical areas. Tracing these concepts of historical space, this volume demonstrates that the image works as a powerful tool to propagate the ideology of German imperialism in the nineteenth-century, but also can critically reflect the political agendas of national historicism.

Today we can walk into any well-stocked bookstore or library and find an array of historical atlases. The first thorough review of the source material, Historical Atlases traces how these collections of "maps for history"—maps whose sole purpose was to illustrate some historical moment or scene—came into being. Beginning in the sixteenth century, and continuing down to the late nineteenth, Walter Goffart discusses milestones in the origins of historical atlases as well as individual maps illustrating historical events in alternating, paired chapters. He focuses on maps of the medieval period because the development of maps for history hinged particularly on portrayals of this segment of the postclassical, "modern" past. Goffart concludes the book with a detailed catalogue of more than 700 historical maps and atlases produced from 1570 to 1870. Historical Atlases will immediately take its place as the single most important reference on its subject. Historians of cartography, medievalists, and anyone seriously interested in the role of maps in portraying history will find it invaluable.

Delve into your German heritage! This carefully curated collection of beautiful historical maps of Germany will help you sort out the mess that is German history. With these 100-plus full-color maps, you can view German border changes throughout the centuries, allowing you to find your German hometown and records of your ancestors. Inside, you'll find: · Beautiful maps of German states from medieval times to present, each selected specifically for the genealogist · Extensive histories of Germanic regions that will walk you through the country’s long and complex past, from the Holy Roman Empire to the Berlin Wall · Beautiful, full-color maps bound in a hardcover format that makes a great gift for historians and genealogists · Detailed captions that put each map in context · Timelines of the events in each era of German history that affected boundary changes · A special village index that will help you pinpoint your ancestor’s hometown

Explores the role, development, and nature of the atlas and discusses its impact on the presentation of the past.