MASS PRODUCTION OF GLOBES

In the early 1500s, globes were very expensive. A handy cartographer had to engrave coast lines, rivers, mountain ranges, etc., into hemispheres made of wood or gilded bronze, subsequently assembling them into a ball. In 1541, Mercator invented an easier method. First, he assembled two papier-mâché hemispheres that had been produced with a wooden core. Subsequently, he printed 12 maps – broader by the Equator and pointed by the poles – with which he lined the ball. The polar regions were covered by two round maps. Mercator’s globes were very popular, and his workshop probably made hundreds of them.

Mercator’s globes were lined with printed maps. 22 of them have survived.