It’s nearly impossible for us to imagine how the Earth might look to someone who’s only ever seen it from a local’s vantage point. But thanks to the Library of Congress, we don’t have to imagine — newly posted images of 19th century drawings show us exactly what humans thought the Earth looked like far before we could ever have known for sure.
The Smithsonian compiled a few of them, and some of our favourites lie below. You can see the rest over at The Library of Congress here. [Library of Congress via The Smithsonian]