Over 400 European prints provide a historical overview of the development of European woodcut, engraving, and etching between 1400 and 1800. Particularly strong holdings before 1700 reflect the development of northern printmaking and include early woodcuts and engravings by such great artists as Albrecht Dürer and Lucas van Leyden. The collection also has a large group of etchings by Rembrandt, one of the medium's most important early practitioners. The development of the style associated with the northern mannerists is reflected in a group of prints by Hendrick Goltzius and his followers. Works by Marcantonio Raimondi and Salvator Rosa represent Italian prints.

Strengths in the 18th century include collections of early states of most of the prints by William Hogarth, the pioneer of English satire. A bound volume of particular note is a complete set of Los Capricios by Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes, all in excellent impressions. The collection houses two sets of Piranesi's prints of Rome, landscapes that record the romantic antiquities of the city as they appeared in the 18th century.

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