Penned in Florence on February 18, 1898 — one of the earliest dateable picture postcards in this collection — this evocative view looks down a narrow medieval lane flanked by the fortress-like bulk of Orsanmichele, whose Gothic tabernacles shelter famous Renaissance sculptures by Donatello, Ghiberti, and Verrocchio; a covered passageway bridges the street overhead, and a small shop glows at the far end. The card was published by the celebrated Dresden firm Stengel & Co., pioneers of the photogravure postcard who documented European monuments with exceptional clarity in the 1890s. It was mailed with Italian 5-centesimi stamps to "Jenny" in Berlin, the sender — who signs as an uncle — writing urgently in German to say he will be in Venice tomorrow and needs Papa to send 100 Marks at once, or he must come home immediately since his money has run out, closing with a request for a quick letter to Venice.