Antique and Vintage Globes

Although mapmaking dates to the late 1400s, globes were not produced in significant numbers until the early 1600s. Globes were created by printing maps on paper gores, which were cut, folded, and glued onto a round, usually wooden frame. Pocket globes, just three inches in diameter, were popular during the Georgian era. Often these small spheres were carried about in cases, whose outsides were covered in animal skin and insides were lined with a celestial map. Larger globes were designed for table tops, while the biggest globes rested on custom bases that stood on the floor.