TERRESTRIAL FLOOR GLOBE

An 18-inch globe with brass hour circles at north and south poles, in calibrated brass meridian, turning on a ball-bearing mechanism, with a horizon band with paper calendar and zodiac and decorated at the edge with repeating rectangular (modified Greek Key) design.  The horizon is raised on four quadrant supports turning on a pinion in a mahogany rectangular tapering central pillar with horizontal molding, supported by an incurved quadripartite plinth, above four scrolled feet ending in casters. 
The land masses are depicted with detailed cartography, colored in shades of yellow, pink, green, orange, purple, etc., all faded.  Oceans are colored blue, also faded.  Mean isothermal lines for January and July are colored respectively blue and red, ocean currents are shown with white wavy lines but not indicated in the key.  Submarine telegraph cables are indicated by hatched lines, and the International Date Line is in red.  Oklahoma is shown as a state, indicating a date after 1907, and St. Petersburg is shown indicating a date of 1914 or before.
This globe was manufactured for American Seating Company, a school supply company in America in the early 20th century.  It incorporates globe gores by the famous and prolific British globe maker, W. & A.K. Johnston. The distinctive Empire style stand on which the globe is mounted also relates to those with W. & A.K. Johnston gores produced for export to the United States.  This model stand was promoted by Johnston in partnership with American school supply company, A.J. Nystrom, as the "Superb Library Globe ... The finest piece of workmanship ever produced in the [Johnston] globe line [and] as essential in a library as a dictionary or encyclopedia." A.J. Nystrom & Co., 1925 Anniversary Catalog, C-25. 
W. & A.K. Johnston was among the most important figures in the production of globes in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Although a British manufacturer, they were highly influential in producing globes to be sold in America under the Johnston name, or under the name of American globe makers and school supply houses. William (1802-1888) and Alexander Keith (1804-1871) Johnston began as apprentices to the Scottish globe maker and publisher James Kirkwood (fl. 1774-1824). After a fire at the Kirkwood's Edinburgh workshop, they set up their own workshop. Their largest globe was a 30-inch diameter physical terrestrial globe which won a number of medals at the Great Exhibition. They received a royal appointment, hence the cartouche of their 18-inch globes is surmounted by the royal coat of arms.
W. & A.K. Johnston's business was continued well into the early 20th century with strategic business relationships with most of the major American Chicago globe makers, including A.H. Andrews, Rand McNally, Weber Costello, and A.J. Nystrom. These American globe makers and school supply houses often sold Johnston globes with an over-label pasted over the Johnston label. In that case, the royal coat of arms that surmounted the round cartouche often still showed. Johnston's globes were very popular for school use in the United States, and were also exported to America for home libraries.