Look Up: The Story Behind McGill’s Globe

By Sonya Andrianova, McGill Visual Arts Collection ARIA Intern, Summer 2026

Long before “dark academia” became a social media trend, universities like McGill embodied the atmosphere that inspired it. “Dark academia” is a pop-culture aesthetic that romanticizes higher education, arts and literature in a gothic, dark tone.¹ Some might argue that “dark academia” is a perfect encapsulation of McGill. Some even apply because of the beautiful campus, romanticizing grueling study sessions with gothic libraries, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, wool blazers, and warm coffees during sleepless nights. But the most perfect location on campus that captures this aesthetic is the main hall and entrance to the Arts Building. Tall dark columns, shades of brown, grey, and black fill the space, and a glowing globe lantern illuminates the entrance. Have you noticed this majestic globe before? Like the rest of McGill campus, it has a long and fascinating history.

The McCall MacBain Arts Building was renovated in 1925 by architects Harold Lea Fetherstonhaugh and James Cecil McDougall.² Given the timing of the renovation, it is plausible that the globe was installed as part of these alterations. The globe also likely reflected the university’s ambitions to become an internationally recognized establishment. After all, the “Roaring 20s” were a time for change and expansion across the globe, following the mass suffering and devastation of the First World War. Like much of the world, McGill underwent a period of renewal in the postwar era, particularly in its architecture, most notably with the Roddick Gates and Arts Building. Both embraced the Greco-Roman tradition as a symbol of the postwar return to order.³ With the war over, Canadian General Arthur Currie came to Montreal and became the new Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University in 1920. Having been at the center of the conflict, he had a great understanding of the importance of creating positive relations with neighbouring countries. Canada had just started trading more heavily with the US rather than the UK,⁴ so Arthur Currie was eager to make USA connections. The School of Commerce had already been established at McGill by the early 1910s, reflecting the university’s growing interest in commerce and international economic activity.⁵

With this direction in mind, a purchase from Edward F. Caldwell and Company made sense. In this way, the university was becoming just as relevant as other leading establishments in the USA which had also purchased lighting fixtures from the same company, thus making McGill look like a prestigious international school.

The globe was constructed in the Art Deco style, which flourished in the 1920s as technology and machinery progressed and gained traction. Art Deco items feature luxury designs with anti-traditional elegance which symbolize wealth and sophistication.⁶ This particular globe is made from stained glass and iron, materials that reflect the era’s fascination with both luxury and industrial production. The combination of these materials demonstrates how Art Deco blended sophisticated, decorative elements with the modern machinery and mass-production techniques that were becoming increasingly popular during this time.

The globe itself is a sphere with geometric motifs existing through the lines that mimic longitude and latitude lines on a traditional globe. However, this particular globe is far from traditional; after taking a closer look, it becomes evident that America and Africa take up most of the space, which is strange and inaccurate. At the bottom of the globe, there is a potential hint as to why the map could be incorrect; a small inscription “Leonardo-Da-Vinci 1515”. This is likely a reference to Leonardo da Vinci’s map of the world that he charted in 1515 after Amerigo Vespucci’s discovery of the American continent in 1505.⁷ For that reason, the map is inaccurate to our current understanding of the world. Leonardo was known as a “universal genius”, framing him as an important pedagogical figure, making him fit for the educational space. The globe reminds us of the importance of research and aestheticizes advancement in science.

Around the globe is an astronomical ring depicting the 12 zodiac signs. During Da Vinci’s age, astrology was considered an academic discipline, relating to astronomy. Zodiac constellations formed part of the standardized celestial coordinate system.⁸ The zodiac ring, therefore, likely represents similar cartographic knowledge as the map itself, dating back to the 15th and 16th century. This claim is further supported by the semi-dome from which the globe hangs. It is a deep blue and sprinkled with golden stars, placing the globe in a celestial arrangement surrounded by other stars and constellations.

Despite its intricate design, this globe is not a one-of-a-kind light fixture. After taking some time to look through the Caldwell catalogue, it became evident that there were several variants of similar-looking globes available for purchase. This led me to believe that there are multiple locations in which similar globes exist. A previous intern found that some of these locations are Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in New York, and the Philbrook Museum in Oklahoma.⁹ As I continued this search, I found that the “art deco globe” was actually a relatively common motif in buildings aiming for a geometric, academic, or luxurious style. After reaching out to the Philbrook Museum, I was informed that there have been more similar globes found in the University of Washington in Seattle,¹⁰ another one found in Richard J. Riordan Central Library in Los Angeles,¹¹ another in Cleveland Public Library in Ohio,¹² and yet another in the Mary Baker Eddy Library in Boston, Massachusetts.

In examining these globes and the history behind them, it becomes evident that architecture and decorative arts are not simply backdrops to history. Rather, they play a large role in making history visible to the public eye. Globes like the one at McGill inform the viewer of the University’s ambitions during a different era

1. Kristen Bateman, “Academia Lives — on TikTok,” in Web.Archive.Org (New York Times, 2020), https://web.archive.org/web/20200706004410/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/30/style/dark-academia-tiktok.html. ↩︎
2. “McCall MacBain Arts Building.” n.d. Bicentennial – McGill University. Accessed July 20, 2026. https://200.mcgill.ca/history/mccall-macbain-arts-building/ ↩︎
3. Stanley Brice Frost, McGill University for the Advancement of Learning, Volume II, 1895–1971 (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1984), 119–25. ↩︎
4. David J. Bercuson, “Canada’s Historical Search for Trade Markets,” The School of Public Policy Publications 13, no. 19 (August 2020), accessed July 23, 2026. https://www.cgai.ca/canadas_historical_search_for_trade_markets. ↩︎
5. “McGill University.” McGill Desautels Faculty of Management, November 30, 2023. https://www.mcgill.ca/desautels/about/about-desautels/history ↩︎
6. Britannica. Art Deco | Definition, Characteristics, History, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/art/Art-Deco ↩︎
7. Jim Siebold, “327. Globe Gores, Leonardo da Vinci, 1514,” Cartographic Images, accessed July 23, 2026, https://www.myoldmaps.com/renaissance-maps-1490-1800/327-davinci.pdf ↩︎
8. George O. Abell, “Astrology: Its Principles and Relation and Nonrelation to Science,” The Science Teacher 41, no. 9 (1974): 9–13. http://www.jstor.org.proxy3.library.mcgill.ca/stable/24123674 ↩︎
9. Krick, Jessa. “A Globe Light Finds Its Match.” News (blog), April 23, 2023. https://caramoor.org/news/rosen-house-monday-globe-light ↩︎
10. UW Libraries. “Suzzallo and Allen Libraries History – UW Libraries,” December 11, 2025. ↩︎
11. Julian Garnsey, “Painted Decoration: Goodhue Building,” Los Angeles Public Library, 2026, https://www.lapl.org/branches/central-library/art-architecture/painting ↩︎
12. Cleveland Public Library, “CONTENTdm,” 2026, https://cplorg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4014coll13/id/74/. ↩︎