Celestial Globe
date: label: date made
content: 1821
name: label: maker
content: Wilson, James
notes: label: Description
content: The cartouche reads “A NEW / AMERICAN / CELESTIAL GLOBE / Containing the Positions of nearly / 5000 / Stars, Clusters, Nebulae, Planetary / Nebulae &C. Carefully computed & laid down / from the latest observations and dis- / coveries by Dr Maskelyne, Dr Herschel / The Revd Mr Wollaston &c. &c. / by James Wilson 1821.”
label: Description
content: This globe is supported on a 4-leg wooden base, and has a wooden horizon circle and a brass meridian.
label: Description
content: James Wilson (1763-1855) was America’s first commercial globe maker. Although he was self-taught in geography and the techniques of engraving, his globes were accurate, beautiful, and a commercial success. Wilson made his first globes in Vermont around 1810. Working with his sons he established an “artificial globe manufactory” in Albany in 1818.
label: Description
content: Ref: D. J. Warner, “The Geography of Heaven and Earth,” <i>Rittenhouse</i> 2 (1988): 135-137.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, Albany
label: associated place
content: United States: Maryland, Garrett Park
topic: label: Subject
content: Astronomy
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
label: See more items in
content: Globes
label: See more items in
content: Measuring & Mapping
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Robert Oakes
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1987.0077.01
label: catalog number
content: 1987.0077.01
label: accession number
content: 1987.0077
objectType: label: Object Name
content: globe
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: maple (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: average spatial: 33 cm; 13 in
label: Measurements
content: overall: 18 1/8 in x 18 in; 46.0375 cm x 45.72 cm