The famous British cartographer and former Member of Parliament, James Wyld, had a brilliant plan to promote his mapmaking business. The Great Exhibition was slated for 1851, at Hyde Park in London, and would be visited by prominent industrialists, scientist, and artists from around the world, as well as members of the Royal family. Wyld figured if he could create a huge model of the earth with an accurate depiction of earth’s geography, for the exhibition, it could further his chances of scoring new business deals and increasing sales.

Sectional view of Wyld's Great Globe, which stood in Leicester Square, London from 1851 to 1862.