Diagram of the Principal High Buildings of the World

The Washington Monument triumphs over the architecture of the Old World.

The Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. held a brief, albeit distinguished, career as the tallest man-made structure in the world from its completion in 1888 until the opening of the Eiffel Tower in 1889 (which almost doubled the record from 555 to 1,024 ft.). This colorful print celebrates that achievement (a bit prematurely) by having the stark white obelisk exceed the height of the ‘Principal Buildings of the World.’ Second place goes to the Cologne Cathedral (510 ft.), with notable other entrants including St. Peter’s, the Parthenon, the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Taj Mahal, and the Hagia Sophia. The color of each structure is supposed to represent its construction material, according to the key in the lower right.

The sheet was originally issued in the 1887 edition of Gaskell’s New and Complete Family Atlas. The volume, published in Chicago by Fairbanks & Palmer Publishing, featured maps by cartographer George Cram.