Williamson 7-Inch Concentric Globe, Terrestrial and Celestial
date: label: date made
content: ca 1870
name: label: maker
content: G. C. Wessmann
label: inventor
content: Williamson, Hugh
notes: label: Description
content: In this curious instrument, a terrestrial globe sits inside a glass sphere on which the stars and constellations have been painted. This, in turn, is mounted on a decorative cast-zinc base. The cartouche on the terrestrial globe reads: “IMPROVEMENT IN / CELESTIAL & TERRESTRIAL / GLOBES / PATENTED BY H. WILLIAMSON / NEW YORK. DEC. 3, 1867 / Sold by HARPER & BROTHERS / Franklin Square, N.Y.” The words “PATENTED / DEC. 3, 1867 / No 85” and “G. C. WESSMANN / NEW YORK / MAKER” appear on a brass band that circles the terrestrial globe. New, this item cost $75.
label: Description
content: Hugh Williamson of New York City obtained a patent (#71,830) for a concentric globe in 1867, and a second prize at the American Institute fair of 1869.
label: Description
content: Ref: Hugh Williamson, <i>A Manual of Problems of the Globes, Designed as an Accompaniment to Williamson’s Patent Concentric Celestial and Terrestrial Globes</i> (New York, 1868).
label: Description
content: D. J. Warner, “The Geography of Heaven and Earth,” <i>Rittenhouse</i> 2 (1988): 134-135.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
label: associated place
content: United States: Massachusetts, Brookline
topic: label: Subject
content: Geography
label: Subject
content: Astronomy
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
label: See more items in
content: Globes
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content: Measuring & Mapping
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1989.0447.01
label: catalog number
content: 1989.0447.01
label: accession number
content: 1989.0447
objectType: label: Object Name
content: globe
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: gold leaf (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: glass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: iron (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: average spatial: 30.5 cm; 12 in
label: Measurements
content: overall: 22 3/4 in x 14 in; 57.785 cm x 35.56 cm