Description
The globe is named in the cartouche as a “School Globe.” Consistent with this, cartography is fairly simple. Curiously the United States is mostly named with major city names rather than state names. St. Petersburgh is shown in the Russia indicating a date before 1914. Cape Colony is shown in South Africa indicating a date before 1910. The French Congo, founded in 1882 is indicated, as is the Congo Free State which existed from 1885 to 1908. Antarctica is shown in outline, with names of Wilkes Land, Enderby Land, and Victoria Land. These geographical notations suggest that the globe dates from the mid 1880s to about 1908.
G.W. Bacon & Co., was British publisher specializing in maps, atlases, and globes. The company was founded by George Washington Bacon (1830-1922), an American born in Lockport, New York. He relocated to London in 1861 and set up various businesses, including importing maps relating to the Civil War. Nonetheless, these ventures went bankrupt in 1867. Bacon returned to map making and bought the engraved plates of English county maps of Edward Weller. In the late 19th century the company purchased the major 19th Century London map and globe maker James Wyld. Around the turn of the century, the company was in turn purchased by the prolific British map publisher W. & A.K. Johnston. Inasmuch as Johnston continued as a major globe and map publisher in the 20th Century, including exports to the United States, Bacon’s work remained relevant and influential in the 20th Century as well.
Cartouche: Bacon’s / School Globe / Drawn & Engraved / By G. W. Bacon & Co., LTD. / London. / Printed , England).
Condition: Globe generally very good, with the usual overall light toning, wear, and handling, and some minor scattered abrasions affecting the printing professionally restored. Stand very good, recently repolished, with overall age wear.
References:
Dekker, Elly, et al. Globes at Greenwich: A Catalogue of the Globes and Armillary Spheres in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. London: Oxford University Press and the National Maritime Museum, 1999.