A Regency Eighteen Inch Terrestrial Globe by Cary, Dated 1816

John Cary, a map publisher, and his brother William, an instrument maker, founded the firm of J&W Cary in the late 18th century. They produced their first globes in 1791 and by the end of the century had established themselves as one of London's most eminent and successful globe manufacturers. The firm was continued well into the 19th century by John Cary's two sons, John Jnr and George, who maintained its reputation for excellence.

The celestial globe has a longer history than the terrestrial globe. Greek and Roman authors mention the existence of celestial globes and Archimedes is recorded as having used one in the third century BC. The first terrestrial globe, on the other hand, was produced around 150 BC. In the 15th century Nuremberg became the first major center of globe production in modern Europe, the earliest known celestial globe dating from 1444, and the earliest surviving terrestrial globe dating from 1492. This globe depicted the known world and was produced just before Columbus's voyage to the New World. Globe-making subsequently flourished in the Netherlands in the sixteenth century but by the end of the eighteenth century British cartographers and globe-makers were the most prominent, reflecting Britain's naval dominance at that time. They were essential items for an educated gentleman's library of the late Georgian period.

Various Cary globes are illustrated in Elly Dekker and Peter van der Krogt Globes from the Western World Zwemmer London 1993.