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A 12 inch globe by W & AK Johnston, dated 1888

Description
A 12 inch globe by W & AK Johnston, dated 1888, the terrestrial globe set in an ebonized stand with four turned legs and cross stretchers, the cartouche reading ‘12inch Globe by W. & A.K. Johnston Geographers and Printers to the Queen, Edinburgh and London, 1888.’ British.

The firm of W. & A.K. Johnston was founded by brothers William and Alexander Keith (1804-1871) Johnston, who started out as apprentices to the Scottish globe maker and publisher James Kirkwood in his Edinburgh workshop. They purchased the established publishing house of William Lizars. Alongside maps, atlases, gazetteers and guide books they produced globes, including the first highly acclaimed physical globes, which won them a number of awards at the Great Exhibition of 1851. The business continued to function under the Johnston name until the 1960s.