James Wilson's Terrestrial Globe, 1811

Wilson, James · 1811

From the 1770's through the 1960's globes have been a basic geography teaching tool for educational institutions, from academies and universities to schools of all sizes and libraries in more recent years. In the 1700’s, they would have been imported and were often purchased by the wealthy. This terrestrial globe was created by James Wilson, one of America's earliest globe manufacturers, in 1811. It is an example of one of Wilson's earliest globes to be used in academies and larger schools and was used in Vermont in the 19th Century. The globe is hung on a brass meridian ring and set in maple stand supported on 4 turned legs joined by cross stretchers. The printed horizon ring displays zodiacal signs, months of the year, and degrees longitude pasted on a circle. It is printed and tinted on a paper surface and inscribed: "A NEW [/] AMERICAN TERRESTIAL GLOBE on white the [/] PRINCIPAL PLACES of the [/] KNOWN WORLD [/] are [/] ACCURATELY laid down [/] with the traced attempts [/] of CAPTAIN COOK to [/] discover a Southern continent [/] by [/] JAMES WILSON [/] 1811."