George and John Cary Terrestrial Globe, London, 1840

John and William Cary
Updated by George and John Cary
Terrestrial Globe
London, 1840

Slight surface abrasions due to use. A small crack on the horizon circle.

The globe rests in its original Dutch style stand with four supporting turned wood columns.
It measures 26 in in height x 23.6 in in diameter with the diameter of the sphere measuring 18 in; 66 cm in height x 60 cm in diameter with the diameter of the sphere measuring 45.72 cm.
The 18 inch measure was not frequently used by British globes manufacturers of this period.
The globe is composed of two series of eighteen printed paper gores, aligned and glued onto a plaster sphere.
The brass circle of the meridian bears the degrees of latitude and the distances from the poles.
The horizon circle, instead, is made of wood covered with printed paper and shows in detail the amplitude, the direction of the winds, the days and months of the year and the names and symbols of the zodiac.
In the Atlantic Ocean, between the Caribbean and Africa, it bears a cartouche containing the inscription:

CARY’S
NEW
TERRESTRIAL GLOBE,
EXHIBITING
The tracks and Discoveries made by
CAPTAIN COOK;
Also those of CAPTAIN VANCOUVER on the
NORTH WEST COAST OF AMERICA,
and M. DE LA PEROUSE, on the COAST of TARTARY,
TOGETHER
With every other Improvement collected from
Various Navigators and Travellers
to the present time.
LONDON
Made & Sold by J. & W. Cary, Strand, March 1st 1816.
WITH CORRECTIONS and ADDITIONS to 1840.

The exploration routes of Cook, La Pérouse, Phipps, Pickergill, and Vancouver as well as others from the previous era, are traced on the globe. Almost all of central and southern Africa is called Unknown Parts. In the United States the coast of California is called New Albion and the interior of it Unexplored Countries; Alaska is described as Alyaska and Russian America (it was to become part of the United States in 1867).
This sample should be the fourth edition after the first of 1816, the second of 1820 and the third perhaps of circa 1831. See Van der Krogt, P., Old Globes in the Netherlands, Utrecht 1984, p. 81.
The brothers John (1754-1835) and William (1760-1825) Cary, cartographers, engravers and instrument makers of London, published their first globe in 1791 and quickly became one of the main production houses in this field. Their production included terrestrial and celestial globes of four different sizes. From 1821 the firm passed to John Cary’s sons, George (d. 1859) and John Jr. (1791-1852).

For more biographical information on John and William Cary and their work and for a comparison with other specimens see Van der Krogt, P., op. cit., p. 77 and Van der Krogt, P. - Dekker, E., Globes from the Western World, London 1993, pp. 116-118.