John Clark Ridpath's History of the World, published in many editions beginning in the 1890s, was immensely popular in its time, and sweeping in its scope, covering ancient Egypt through World War I. Today's scholars recognize the impact of the imperialist mindset and Social Darwinism that was a hallmark of the era in which Ridpath worked. The illustrations are no exception; many are truly interesting from a visual standpoint, but quite a few take great liberties in depicting historical events and figures in anachronistic, biased or otherwise inaccurate fashion. Nonetheless, there are many images that are helpful in illustrating themes from world history or for exploring 19th-century Western views on culture and peoples.


Several hundred of Eon's Ridpath images are available online, with many more available by request. This gallery contains scans primarily taken from a 1901 edition, with some images originating from later editions. While images were originally scanned at 300dpi or higher, the quality varies. As many of the engravings are comprised of fine lines, the smaller previews available here don't always convey the quality. We can send you watermarked full-size files to review on request. Clicking on the link to download a low-res preview also opens a larger image than the preview provided in the galleries.