In 1827, while exhibiting his products in Washington, D.C., globe maker James Wilson declared himself the preeminent American practitioner of this craft. Wilson went on to claim that he had achieved "such a degree of perfection" in his work that importation of globes from London, the trade’s epicenter at that time, was no longer necessary. The craftsman's high opinion of his work -- and of himself -- has proven justified over time. "If a globe collection means anything," says George Glazer, a Manhattan-based dealer of antiquarian globes and maps, "it includes a Wilson."

Wilson favored American materials for his globes, the cores and gores of which were shaped, colored, and engraved by hand. His company built this 13-inch-diameter terrestrial version -- which is available from George Glazer Gallery -- in 1822. The globe charts the then-developing American West with now-antiquated names such as Arkansaw Tery and Missouri Tery, details left off of English models from the era.