A 16-INCH TERRESTRIAL FLOOR GLOBE
Rand McNally & Company
Chicago: c. 1930s
Mahogany and ebonized Art Deco stand
36 inches high; 20 inches diameter overall
The terrestrial globe is surmounted by a metal hour circle, within a calibrated meridian, raised on a mahogany stand in the French Art Deco taste. The mahogany horizon band rests in an ebonized molding above figured tropical wood decorated frieze, rotating 360 degrees with the globe on a bulbous wooden meridian holder, which rests on a medial cross stretcher. The four tapered, faceted, partly ebonized, mahogany downswept legs each come to a near point at the top headed by a roundel, and end in ebonized cross-hatched decoration at the feet. The faceted legs headed by a roundel and exotic wood frieze are typical design features adapted from French Art Deco furniture.
Oceans are green (blue that has yellowed with time) and decorated with an Art Deco compass rose and an assortment of small illustrations of ships: Captain Cook's ship "Resolution," Magellan's ship "Victoria," Drake's ship "Golden Hind," the "Flying Cloud" American clipper ship, a Chinese junk, an Arabian dhow and a Viking ship. Shipping routes are indicated by hatched lines. The maritime theme extends to the cartouche, with the text inside a scallop shell form, flanked by figures of Neptune and a mermaid. Nations are muted tones including yellow and tan, except for British Commonwealth countries and British Mandate territories, which are shaded reddish orange.
Manchuria is shown as "Manchukuo," as it was known after the Japanese invaded the area and established a puppet state from 1932 to 1945 (also sometimes spelled "Manchoukuo"). Istanbul is shown, also indicating a date of after 1930, when the name change occurred. In addition, the globe shows Northern Territory in Australia, which replaced Central Territory on maps after 1931. Syria is labeled in parentheses "Fr." for French Mandate, which lasted until 1943. These and other geographical notations suggest that the globe was made in the 1930s, and no later than the early 1940s.
Rand McNally and Company became a preeminent publisher of maps and atlases in Chicago in the 1870s and 1880s, then ventured into globe making in the 1890s, and continues in business today. Read more about Rand McNally in our Guide to Globe Makers.
Cartouche:Rand McNally Indexed Terrestrial Art Globe Diameter 16 inches Distances in statute miles One inch equals 500 miles Copyright by Rand McNally & Company, Chicago Made in U.S.A.