The Globe maker George F. Cram Company began in-house production of Globes circa 1932, which lets us believe this model to be one of the first known pieces from their new production line. One can view a specific moment in time, the great depression. Still, it is the calm before the storm (of WW2) in Europe. In Asia, the Japanese Empire had begun to advance by occupying Manchuria in China (1931-45). The mysterious Persia is still documented in its original name, which changed to Iraq in 1935. Europe’s borders are shown as decided by the treaty of Versailles in 1919, with new nations like Poland and Finland, risen from the ashes of World War 1. About the manufacturer: What was to become the George F. Cram Company was founded in 1867 by Rufus Blanchard and George Franklin Cram (uncle and nephew) in Evanston, Illinois. The firm was known as Blanchard and Cram and was engaged in producing atlases and maps. By 1869 the business had become George F. Cram, with Cram taking full control and moved to Chicago that same year. The great Chicago fire destroyed the business, which was reestablished under the name Cram Map Depot. In 1921 Cram sold the company to E. A. Peterson. Peterson merged the Cram Company with his National Map Company, and in 1928 it became The George F. Cram Company. The year 1928 also saw the death of founder George F. Cram at the age of 86. The company began making globes in 1932-34, and in 1936 it relocated to Indianapolis. In 1966 Loren B. Douthit, an employee since 1937, became President of the company until his retirement in 1978. William and John Douthit, Loren's sons, assumed management of the company the same year. When Loren B. Douthit died in 1996, William L. Douthit was named Chairman of the Board. Herff Jones, which owns the Nystrom line of globes, purchased CRAM in 2005. Douthit family members are still involved in creating globes at the Herff Jones facility in Indianapolis. To differ itself from the other great Chicago Globe makers in the early 2oth century and to be competitive, Cram became very creative early on. The company experimented with mountings and colors. As a result, the company produced some of the most unique globes The plaster orb is covered with twelve printed, hand mounted paper gores. Colors are bold, lands simplified for easy identification. The orb and cast iron meridian are cradled in a cast iron base, which allows the orb to slide-rotate changing the axis angle. The globes total height is approximately 16.5 inches tall and 13.5 inches wide overall with meridian.. The globes condition is very good with only minimal wear, no fading to the mapping. There are no cracks or breaks to the cast iron components. Securely packed, this globe will ship for $23.00 domestic. International shipping is $69.00 $380 — Item #: FZ713CRAM32 - SOLD