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A new terrestrial globe …1782

by William Palmer & John Newton

In the 18th and 19th centuries, a time of immense public interest in exploration, voyage tracks became a popular feature on globes and a key selling point emphasised by globemakers. The globe by Palmer & Newton is one of the earliest to record all three of Cook’s voyages, showing the complete tracks of his first two voyages and marking the places his third voyage visited.

Larger globes like these, designed for placement on desks, tables or floors, were as much intended for display — to convey the wealth and worldliness of their owner — as they were for use in instruction or reference.