Published in Milan in 1853, La Geografia a Colpo d’Occhio (Geography at a Glance) is an educational atlas that presents fundamental concepts of geography, history, and statistics through 16 illustrated tables. This work exemplifies mid-19th-century efforts to make geographic knowledge more accessible and visually engaging, a pedagogical approach gaining popularity across Europe.
The 16 maps and illustrations in this atlas offer a broad yet structured understanding of geography, history, and statistical analysis. The map Geographic Names in Drawings represents one of the earliest attempts to visually educate scholars about names of geographical and topographical features.
The plate Human Races and Their Ways of Dressing is practically a copy of the map found in Berghaus’ Physikalischer Atlas, a highly influential German work first published in the 1840s.
The plate number 11, Statistics of Europe, reflects the growing 19th-century interest in demographic and economic data. In addition to standard information such as population, capital, and area, each country includes military data, detailing the size of each country's army, number of naval vessels, ships, and guns. This underscores a particular focus on naval power, a crucial aspect of European geopolitics at the time. Reinforcing this emphasis, the atlas also contains an extra page featuring a cross-sectional illustration of a battleship, offering readers a detailed look at contemporary warship construction.
The inclusion of views of Gibraltar and the Dardanelles (plate 15) may reflect their significance in mid-19th-century geopolitics. Their presence in an educational atlas may have been intended to highlight their importance in European conflicts, diplomacy, and trade, particularly in the wake of rising tensions leading to the Crimean War (1853–1856).
Stunning Corbetta's panorama view of Italy showing the Apennine peninsula from the unusual vantage point looking south is a remarkable highlight of the atlas.
All of the maps are hand coloured, some of the maps are printed in two colors (black and blue), further enhancing their visual appeal and clarity. In some maps, an unusual technique for terrain depiction is also employed, using patterns of dots to represent relief. Plates 6 (Prospects of Universal History), 10 (Historical Notes on Languages) and 14 (History of Italy) are purely text based.
Each table in the atlas was sold separately for Centesimi 50 ciascuna Tavola — or half a lira. In mid-19th-century Lombardy (then under Austrian rule), 1 lira was roughly the daily wage of an unskilled laborer. This means 50 centesimi was approximately half a day’s wage, making each map relatively affordable for middle-class families, educators, and students
List of maps:
- Astronomy
- Description of the Earth
- Geographic Names in Drawings
- Planisphere
- Human Races and Their Ways of Dressing (adapted from Berghaus’ Physikalischer Atlas)
- Prospects of Universal History
- Europe, Climate, Main Mountains and Rivers
- Europe, Primary Cities
- Europe, Division According to Languages
- Historical Notes on Languages
- Statistics of Europe
- Italia, Main Mountains and Rivers
- Italy, Primary Cities
- History of Italy
- Strait of Dardanelles and Gibraltar
- Perspective View of Italy
