Florenz

Title

Florenz

Decorative compolete view of Florenz.

ca. 1820

Artist

Scholz (1793-)

In 1793, the company Josef Scholz was founded in Wiesbaden. Originally a wholesale business for paper and stationery, it grew into a well-known publisher of picture books and games. In 1829, the company relocated to Mainz. The publisher gained significance for producing lithographs for various purposes and, from 1840 onwards, established itself as one of the first children’s book publishers. Their range included “the needs of the children’s world”: picture books, illustrated sheets, coloring pages, board games, paper theaters, and more. The children’s and youth books aimed to teach general knowledge and good manners. Additionally, the publisher released narrative literature with a moral message.

Historical Description

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany, at the river Arno. Florence was a centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of that era. It is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages. A turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici family and numerous religious and republican revolutions. From 1865 to 1871 the city was the capital of the recently established.