Skip to main content

British Colonial Globes

BRITISH COLONIAL STYLE

Typically made of mahogany, teak or bamboo and featuring a range of fabrics and prints with botanical patterns, antique British Colonial furniture and decor varies as it involved local materials and techniques and spanned centuries of design styles.

As the British Empire expanded from the 16th to the 20th century, its conquest and control of colonies around the world bolstered its wealth through the extraction of resources. Including colonies in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australasia, this spread of often violent subjugation imposed British culture, language and faith on Indigenous peoples. The design of homes was included in this expression of imperial power, with government officials, merchants and military officers creating homes mimicking the luxuries they were used to in England.

Local artisans were commissioned to replicate British designs, resulting in versions of Regency, Chippendale, Sheraton and other styles of furniture being crafted from mahogany, rosewood, ebony and teakwood as opposed to beech and oak, which were more common in Europe. Whereas the colonial furniture for the Portuguese and Dutch regularly had motifs of indigenous flora and fauna, the British tended to want more exact reproductions of their home country’s designs.

To escape the summer heat in places such as India and the Caribbean, British colonizers relocated to airy houses in the hills or plantations, leading to foldable chairs and collapsible desks in the style of military campaign furniture. Rather than upholstery as they might have in Europe, chairs and sofas in the British Colonial style had rattan and cane seating for these higher temperature climates. The contrast between the light textiles and the dark colors of the sturdy furniture became a defining aesthetic of British Colonial interiors.

Find a collection of antique British Colonial outdoor furniture, seating, bedroom furniture, decorative objects and other items on 1stDibs.

1
to
1
1
1
1
59
14
11
6
5
5
4
4
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Style: British Colonial
Vintage 16 in. Terrestrial Globe and Tropical Colonial Style Bamboo Rattan Stand
Located in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
This vintage terrestrial Replogle World Classic 16 in. relief globe is mounted in a lacquered Rattan Bamboo stand with four legs, each made of three stems and joined by decorative tr...
Category

Late 20th Century American British Colonial Globes

Materials

Brass

Related Items
Replogle Terrestrial Floor Globe
Located in Asbury Park, NJ
This floor globe by Replogle floats within a ring of walnut, supported by four 'turned' chrome stiles, which connect to a base of walnut. The ...
Category

1960s American Vintage British Colonial Globes

Large and Extremely Rare Terrestrial Globe by Newton
By Newton Globes - Planer & Newton
Located in Lymington, Hampshire
A large and extremely rare 24-inch terrestrial globe by Newton Our most magnificent and rare globes were a pair of 24-inch Newton globes. These too were updated in 1852 (terre...
Category

Mid-19th Century English Antique British Colonial Globes

Materials

Mahogany

A truly delightful miniature terrestrial pocket globe
Located in ZWIJNDRECHT, NL
A truly delightful miniature terrestrial pocket globe in a celestial case, 3 inches / 6.8 cm. The globe consists of 12 wonderful varnished, engraved hand-coloured gores that stretch from pole to pole. In the original case of black fish-skin with a brass hinge and two brass hook-and-eyelet closures, case with a unique silver plaque which reads: "B. Bellchamber S. King - Gul's Fox Summum Geographicum Praemium Pares Meruere". * [This very roughly translates to:] "B. Bellchamber S. King - Gul's Fox Earns Top Geographical Peers Award". *Is it too much to suppose and speculate that this wonderful silver plaque attached to the outer case is in recognition of a [geographic?] scholastic achievement? The prize awarded to the lucky recipients (B. Bellchamber & S. King?) is this globe? This terrestrial globe has two repairs; to the area concerning the British Isles, and also to parts of Europe and Scandinavia (with some loss). There is some slight loss to a portion of North America, and there is a crack to the northern portion of South America. It is partly worn in other places and has some slight spotting. It is lacking the axis metal pin, and the two holes that normally allow for this pin have been closed. The case is split and segmented, partly rubbed and worn with cracks, (as is usual.) The case will close. There is some minor chipping and cracking to the outer rim of the inside of the case. About Pocket Globes. It is generally thought that Joseph Moxon brought pocket globes to England in the late seventeenth century. These globes usually consist of a terrestrial sphere of about 7.5 cm in diameter that fits into an outer case (usually made of fish-skin). The interior of this case often bears bright, colourful celestial cartography, so you effectively have the celestial heavens surrounding the terrestrial earth. Pocket globes, although highly desirable, are for all intents and purposes somewhat impractical, as their size makes accurate calculations impossible. Few, if any, pocket globes came with accompanying booklets, so it is hard for anyone to know who used them and for what purposes. Pocket globes could simply have served purely as status symbols for wealthy gentlemen, who had an interest in geography or astronomy. The fields of geography and the sciences were quickly advancing during this period. Alternatively, pocket globes could be seen as a tool used in children’s education, especially when you think that they are construction from cheap materials such as papier-mâché. Points of Interest. This particular globe shows California as a peninsula, whereas previously it had been depicted as an island – a misconception dating back to the sixteenth century; it has the northwest coast of America simply as "unknown parts."; - due to a profound lack of knowledge of the region; the track of Admiral George Anson’s circumnavigation of the world (1740-44) is drawn – Anson led a squadron of eight ships on a mission to disrupt or capture the Pacific Ocean possessions of the Spanish Empire, for emphases, the trade winds are indicated by red arrows. There are three large lakes engraved in Africa that may longer exist. The Celestial Gores. The celestial gores, housed within the case, are fun and eye-catching both in their display and in their content. Constellations and both hemispheres and are represented. Gemini, Cancer, Virgo, Orion, Andromeda, Taurus, Leo, Ursa Major etc in the north, and Scorpio, Libra, Canis Major etc in the south. A celestial globe is a mapping of the stars, and has been used since classical times. Celestial globes were first used by Greek astronomers, and later by the Islamic world, where the earliest known globes date from the eleventh century. The stars were thought to sit on the surface of a giant sphere around the earth, and the constant movement of the stars each night and throughout the year appeared to be caused by this giant sphere slowly turning overhead. In line with its counterpart, the terrestrial globe, celestial globes are mapped by a north and a south pole, an equator, and lines of latitude and longitude. The Terrestrial Globe. The North Pole encompasses the Arctic Circle, Baffin Bay (Canada), Iceland, Greenland, northern Siberia and Nuova Zembla. Europe shows the Dominion of Muscovy (a principality of the late Middle Ages centered on Moscow), Turkey, the British Isles, Italy etc. Africa highlights the Barbary coast, Biledulgerid (a former country in North Africa), the Zaara Desart (Sahara Desert), Negroland (an archaic term in European mapping referring to large portions of West Africa), Guinea, Ethiopia, Congo, the islands of the Azores and the Canaries. Australia (New Holland) shows the outdated cartography of an incomplete coastline; The West Australian and Northern Territory coastlines are in full, however, there is no connected mainland coastline from South Australia up to Northern Queensland. Papua New Guinea is still thought to be a part of the Australian mainland. A portion of Tasmania’s coastline is engraved. The only places/regions mentioned are: Dimens Land and Carpentaria in the north; Lewins, St. Francis, Mary’s Island, South Cape, and Dimens Land in the south. Interestingly, a place named Hartog’s Island is mentioned off the West Australian coast. This island has a unique place within Australia’s history as it is the first recorded European landing on Australian soil in 1616 by the island’s namesake, Dutch captain Dirk Hartog...
Category

Mid-18th Century British Antique British Colonial Globes

Materials

Other

Terrestrial Library Globe Replogle Chicago w/Astrological Banded Stand
Located in San Francisco, CA
Terrestrial Library globe Replogle Chicago with banded astrological holder/floor stand circa 1930's/1940's
Category

1930s Vintage British Colonial Globes

Materials

Wood, Paper

Vintage Reploge Terrestrial World Globe
Located in Douglas Manor, NY
2-309 vintage world globe with raised surfaces set on a custom walnut wood stepped base, circa 1960.
Category

1960s Vintage British Colonial Globes

Materials

Metal

Terrestrial World Globe on Iron Stand by George F. Cram and Co. circa 1946
Located in Dallas, TX
Decorate an office or a study with this elegant antique globe. Crafted in Indianapolis, Indiana circa 1946, the collectible piece sits on a bronze painted cast iron tripod base decor...
Category

Mid-20th Century American British Colonial Globes

Materials

Iron

Vintage Terrestrial Library Globe on Stand 20th Century
Located in London, GB
A fine vintage 16 inch terrestrial library globe on stand by Herff Jones Inc, USA, Circa 1980 in date. The globe is raised on a highly decorative ebonised tripod stand with brass ...
Category

1980s Vintage British Colonial Globes

Materials

Other

Terrestrial Globe By G. Thomas Paris
Located in Brussels, Brussels
Very beautiful Terrestrial Globe from the beginning of the 20th century circa 1910 by G.Thomas publisher Paris The Terrestrial Globe has an exceptional blackened wooden base with a ...
Category

19th Century French Antique British Colonial Globes

Materials

Wood

Antique Hammond's 6-Inch Terrestrial Globe on Stand
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Offered here for your consideration is, A fine antique 6-inch terrestrial globe. Additional Details: By C.S. Hammond & Co. The globe likely dates from 1927 to 1930 due to the ...
Category

20th Century Unknown British Colonial Globes

Materials

Wood, Paper

Large Terrestrial Library Globe
Located in Nashville, TN
30 inch diameter library globe featuring Oklahoma with Indian territory, circa 1890. Maker is Johnston, Edinburgh, Scotland, a renowned British globe pro...
Category

Late 19th Century Scottish Antique British Colonial Globes

Materials

Brass

Charles Smith & Son 18 Inch Terrestrial Globe on Stand w/ Compass circa 1845-48
By Charles Smith & Son
Located in Milford, NH
A fine rare example of an 18 inch diameter terrestrial globe on mahogany stand with brass meridian and paper horizon ring depicting months and zodiac signs, The round title cartouche...
Category

1840s English Antique British Colonial Globes

Materials

Brass

Rand McNally Twelve Inch Terrestrial Globe
Located in Savannah, GA
A Rand, McNally & Co. twelve inch terrestrial globe on cast iron base, first quarter 20th century. 15 inches wide by 12 inches deep by 23 inches tall
Category

Early 20th Century American British Colonial Globes

Materials

Iron

Previously Available Items
Vintage Replogle Illuminated 16" Heirloom Library Globe w Pedestal Stand 39"
Located in Dayton, OH
Vintage Replogle 16” floor globe set in an elegant pedestal stand with brass meridian. Batteries can be inserted for illumination. “Inspired by the i...
Category

Late 20th Century British Colonial Globes

Materials

Hardwood

Antique Scottish Brass Gong and Mallet
Located in Palm Beach, FL
The ringing of a gong is a celebration of a moment in time. Here is one with a strong, serious stance crafted with spun brass and hanging from two polished steer horns with silvered ...
Category

Early 20th Century Scottish British Colonial Globes

Materials

Brass

British Colonial globes for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique British Colonial globes for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Late 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage globes created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with brass, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used British Colonial globes made in a specific country, there are Europe, Italy, and North America pieces for sale on 1stDibs. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for globes differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $350 and tops out at $890 while the average work can sell for $620.

Recently Viewed

View All