1950 French Terrestrial Globe by Girard Barrère and Thomas - 19"

This mid-century French terrestrial globe, published around 1950 by Girard Barrère and Thomas of Paris, combines soft sea-green oceans with pastel landmasses in ochre, rose, and sage. Formed of cardboard covered with lithographed paper segments, it turns smoothly on its silvered metal axis and rests on a light-stained hardwood stand with a turned column and octagonal plinth. The surface shows light rubbing, a small puncture near the lower hemisphere, and faint speckling from age; the base bears a few edge nicks, and the metal retains a muted sheen. A fine example of French educational design, it reflects the postwar world with colonial boundaries still marked and the restrained palette characteristic of Girard Barrère and Thomas’s precise, classroom-quality globes.

This globe lends warmth and scholarly charm to a study, library, or office, where it can rest on a desk or campaign chest beside a reading lamp. It also brings a nostalgic classroom accent to a child’s room or study nook, inspiring exploration and wonder.