It amazes me that the designers of the nineteenth century, armed with little more than their typographic inventiveness, and without the aid of automated data manipulation devices, were able to corral ever-increasing masses of information into something comprehensible. (Think of railway timetables, for instance, or even newspapers.)
This 1858 document, entitled Tableau de L’Histoire Universelle, attempts the modest task of drawing a family tree of the entire human race.
I can’t speak as to the accuracy of the genealogy, but as an infographic it’s freakin’ awesome.
(Also, I’d be thrilled if anyone could point me to a font that matches the handwritten type in the poster, particularly the italics.)
(peacay)