The prohibition of drawing, referring to topographies or architecture, has rarely been a topic of art history or visual studies, although it can be accounted for in Europe since the 16th century. But such interdictions prove the power that was ascribed to on site-drawings. They were decreed to impede military espionage, in reaction to the practice of producing, collecting and storing not only maps, but also images of the landscapes, cities, fortifications, and harbours of potential enemies, in order to be used in case of a military conflict.