Pocket Globe

London, 1817, Wood, paper, papier mâché, iron rod; original case

8 cm

The present pocket globe is made up of 12 engraved and coloured segments extending from pole to pole on a papier-mâché sphere, and is preserved in its original, spherical case, which shows the two hemispheres with different constellations on the inside and is covered with shagreen (ray skin) on the outside. The iron rod holds the terrestrial globe in the case and allows it to rotate around itself without taking the globe out of the case. The inscription in the round medallion on the terrestrial globe indicates that it was made in London after 1817 by “Newton's”, one of the most prominent families of globe makers in London in the first half of the 19th century. In the late 18th century, John Newton had succeeded the successful globe maker Nathaniel Hill's and initially copied his design before designing his own globe based on the latest geographical discoveries. His son, James Newton, and his successors continued his work and developed new versions of pocket globes based on Newton's design.