Globe Trotters

Globe Trotters (1913)

Globe Trotters follows the journey of a group of travellers who depart from Genoa by ocean liner and sail to the Orient for the ultimate travel experience. They visit Egypt, pass through the Suez canal, cross the Indian ocean and arrive in India - ‘the land of wonders’ - where they see the ancient buildings. They call at various ports among which are Calcutta and Hong Kong. In Japan they ride in little carts drawn by runners. After this they sail to America - ‘the land of unlimited possibilities’ - and view the imposing natural scenery and the Liberty Statue. Finally they return to Europe.

The pack contains 60 cards beautifully illustrated and printed by chromo-lithography, and the rules of the game are that the winner is the one who succeeds in getting the most complete quartetts.

Above: Spear's Globe Trotters quartett game, published by J. W. Spear & Sons, London, 1913. A map of the entire world tour is here→

Note from Roddy Somerville: I have exactly the same cards but in a different box. The title of the game is "Round the Globe". Does anyone know when or why the name of the game was changed? Which version came first? See the box→

List of scenes shown on all the cards

Outward Bound - In the Travelling Agency Office Probably a London Office of Cooks
Outward Bound - Goodbye to Genoa English Globe trotters would have had to travel by train and ferry to get to the Italian port of Genoa
Outward Bound - Amusements On Board The passengers are playing Deck Shuffleboard and a map on the voyage to Port Said is shown
Outward Bound - The Dining Room The luxurious Dining Room and a two masted liner inset
Harbour Scenes - Genoa Genoa Harbour and that two masted liner again
Harbour Scenes - Port Said The inset picture is of Abu Simbel, but that is 1300Km from Port Said so maybe it was visited from the Red Sea later in the voyage.
Harbour Scenes - Calcutta The inset picture is of the Esplanade at Calcutta Harbour
Harbour Scenes - Karachee Souvenir sellers at the docks. The inset picture of a Dhow for tourists to take a trip in - they usually had no covered area on board
Means of Travelling - Scene on Deck Sailing Vessels were a novelty for Stemship passengers. The inset picture remains a mystery
Means of Travelling - Travelling in a Pullman Car This clearly shows how luxurious the Pullman Cars were. The inset picture could be somehwere in the USA
Means of Travelling - Riding in a Japanese Rickshaw The Rickshaw is thought to have been invented in Japan in 1869 (before the Chinese). The inset is the Pagoda at Narita-san Shinsho-ji Buddhist temple
Means of Travelling - Carriage Drawn By Zebus Zebus are also known as Brahman cattle. The inset remains unidentified.
Splendid Buildings - Pyramid and the Sphinx A camel ride by the Sphinx and a view of the Mosque of Muhammad Ali or the Alabaster Mosque in Cairo.
Splendid Buildings - The Tabernacle Inset is the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City which was completed in 1867
Splendid Buildings - The Gate of Cashmere The Kashmir gate is the Northern gateway of the city of Delhi, a walled city rebuilt by the British in the early 19th Century. Inset is the Taj Mahal at Agra, 240 Km to the south
Splendid Buildings - The Winter Palace (Odipoor) This is the Lake Palace on on Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India built between 1743 and 1746. The street scene shows a wedding palanquin being carried
Nomads or Wandering Tribes - A Gipsy Camp This Gipsy encampment could really have been almost anywhere in Europe
Nomads or Wandering Tribes - Among the Kalmucks The Kalmucks (usually Kalmyks today) are a Mongolian people living a nomadic life. In the background are their Ghers, round portable self supporting tents.
Nomads or Wandering Tribes - An Indian Wigwam These Native Americans seem to be posed for the tourists. They have even decorated their Teepees (not Wigwams) which were usually plain
Nomads or Wandering Tribes - Bedouins in the Desert These splendid characters are parading for the benefit of tourists in front of the Pyramids in Egypt
Street Scenes - Chicago Not a sign of an automobile anywhere in Chicago, soon to become "Motor City"
Street Scenes - Burmah This procession looks as though it is taking place in front of the Shwezigon Temple in Bagan, Myanmar, probably for the tourists again
Street Scenes - Lucknow This street market is in front of the Gateway to the Chalis Satun (Hall of Thirty Pillars). This gate is no longer in existence
Street Scenes - Cairo A lot of people in Cairo want to sell you something
Nature's Wonders - Niagara Falls Niagara Falls have moved nearly 300 feet upstream since these tourists saw them
Nature's Wonders - The Grand Cañon The River Colorado has gouged out the Grand Canyon, over a mile deep in places, over two billion years. It is in the state of Arizona
Nature's Wonders - The Garden of the Gods The Garden of the Gods is a public park in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The red sandstone rock formations are a magnet for tourists
Nature's Wonders - Glacier Point Glacier Point is a 7000 ft vantage point to view the Yosemite National Park. These tourists would have been carried up there by horse and cart
Fountains and Wells - At Carlsbad Karlsbad in Germany had a new fountain which began operating just before these cards were issued
Fountains and Wells - Drawing Water in Venice The squares in Venice used to collect rainwater and it was kept in cisterns beneath them. They are now capped but some decorative well heads remain today
Fountains and Wells - Wells in Palestine These wells relied on groundwater which had drained from the rain and melted snow from the mountains
Fountains and Wells - Drinking Fountain in Cairo This drinking fountain is in the courtyard of the Alabaster Mosque in Cairo
Scenes in the Orient - Colombo on Ceylon The capital of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) has a mixed population with the Sinhalese in a majority. Perhaps the two characters inset are Sinhalese, I like the hat
Scenes in the Orient - A Religious Procession (Juggernaut) Juggernaut, from the Sanskrit Jagannatha meaning War Lord, one of the names of Krishna. Annually there is a Hindu procession carrying Jagannath in an ornate cart.
Scenes in the Orient - Pictures from the Ganges Hindus bathing in the sacred river Ganges, probably at the Stone Steps in Varanasi (also known as Banares) which is one of the longest inhabited cities in the world
Scenes in the Orient - Street Musician in Egypt Lots of porters want to carry your luggage in Egypt. Inset is a musician playing a 6 string semsemia like the instrument played by the Ancient Egyptians
In India - Hyderabad Built in 1592 the Charminar (meaning four towers) is surrounded by street bazaars
In India - Tanjore The Brihadeeswarar Temple (also known as The Big Temple) was built in 1010. It is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. Inset are souvenir hunters at a bazaar
In India - On the Irrawaddy The Irrawaddy River is in Burma not India. At the time of these cards Burma was a British colony. It became independent in 1948 and is now known as Myanmar
In India - Trichinopoly The Rock Fort was first fortified in the 14th century. Later it was used by the British during the Carnatic wars. The city is now known as Tiruchirapalli
In the Far East - In Hong Kong A trip around the harbour for the tourists. Inset is the Great Wall of China which is over 1200 miles from Hong Kong. Did they ever go there?
In the Far East - At Shanghai These travellers are admiring the famouse Old Teahouse in the old town. Shanghai would be unrecognisable today, 100 years later!
In the Far East - At Honolulu The capital of Hawaii which had only been annexed by the USA in 1898. In the background is the Iolani Palace. Flowers, not a lei, presented here. The lei was popularised later.
In the Far East - On the Nuvara Elya Nuwara Eliya (City of Light) is a city in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). Close to the city is Lover's Leap Waterfall which is a favourite tourist haunt
Life in Japan - Tokio This is Uyeno Park in Tokyo with a view fo the famous Sensoji Temple Pagoda. The inset is the Japanese Tea Ceremony or Way of Tea. For purists this can take 4 hours.
Life in Japan - Yokahama The population of Yokohama when these visitors were there was around 400.000. It is now approaching 4 million.The Buddha statue weighs 93 tons and is over 45 feet tall.
Life in Japan - Japanese Tea House Lets hope that the tourists could get a "Quick Cuppa" at this Tea House.The inset is Mount Fuji which is 133 Km from Tokyo
Life in Japan - A Coffee House This Coffee House doesn't look very busy but I love the lanterns. I can't find out what the inset is. Maybe it doesn't exist any more, it does look very combustable.
In America - Statue of Liberty A gift from France, the statue was opened in 1886. The designer was Fredédéric Auguste Bartholdi. The torch (see inset) was closed to visitors in 1916 foe safety reasons
In America - New York This is the Singer Building, completed in 1908. It was the tallest building in the world for a year. It was demolished in 1968.
In America - The Capitol in Washington The huge cast iron Dome 100 ft in diameter and weighing close to 4000 tons was added in 1863. Work has been carried on at intervals to add to the complex ever since
In America - The Ascent of Pikes Peak This is a mountain, 14,000ft high, in the Rockies near Colorado Springs, Colorado
Homeward Bound - Leaving New York This might be the SS Deutschland, launched in 1900, leaving New York Harbour past the Statue of Liberty. Only 15 Trans Atlantic liners with four funnels were ever built
Homeward Bound - The Lighthouse Heligoland This famous lighthouse, opened in 1903, was the brightest lighthouse in the world. Britain ceded Heligoland to Germany in 1890.
Homeward Bound - At the Docks This ship seems to have only 2 funnels. The docks are probably Hamburg because the Hamburg Amerika Line was the major Trans Atlantic Liner service at the time
Homeward Bound - Home Once More! These passengers are probably arriving home in Berlin
Scenes in Holland - Saved! I suspect that this pack of the game was originally meant for sale in Holand; hence the Dutch scenes on this set
Scenes in Holland - A Little Chat Spears often altered slightly the versions of a game sold in other countries
Scenes in Holland - Welcome Home! The german version may well have Scenes in Germany as its final theme
Scenes in Holland - A Leisure Hour It is surprising, though, that the English version doesn't have English scenes because England was a very important market for their games