Wilson 9-Inch Terrestrial Globe

Wilson 9-Inch Terrestrial Globe

<< >>
Usage conditions apply
Downloads
Description
The inscription in the Pacific reads “THE / AMERICAN NINE INCH / TERRESTRIAL GLOBE, / EXHIBITING / with the greatest possible Accuracy / POSITIONS of THE PRINCIPAL / PLACES OF THE EARTH / with New Discoveries & Political Alterations / down to the present / PERIOD; / 1819. / BY J. WILSON & Co. / Albany.” This globe shows no political boundaries within the United States, but does identify Maine and Florida. Longitude is shown from London and from Washington.
The globe has a four-leg mahogany stand, a wooden horizon circle, and a brass meridian.
James Wilson (1763-1855) was America’s first commercial globe maker. He was self-taught in geography and the techniques of engraving, but his globes were accurate, beautiful, and a commercial success. Wilson made his first globes in Vermont around 1810. Working with his sons he established an “artificial globe manufactory” in Albany in 1818.
Ref: D. J. Warner, “The Geography of Heaven and Earth,” Rittenhouse 2 (1988): 135-137.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
globe
date made
1819
maker
Wilson, James
place made
United States: New York, Albany
associated place
United States: Vermont, Perkinsville
Physical Description
mahogany (overall material)
brass (overall material)
Measurements
average spatial: 23 cm; 9 1/16 in
overall: 13 5/8 in x 12 in; 34.6075 cm x 30.48 cm
ID Number
PH.328410
accession number
272473
catalog number
328410
subject
Geography
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
Globes
Measuring & Mapping
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.   

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.

Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.