Abstract
1. The globe in the US presidents' portraits
Examination of portraits of presidents showed that not the same globe was kept in the Oval Office and there was a posing politician beside the globe. Images were classified based on items in their portraits. Among the portraits the posing of Theodore Roosevelt is prominent.
2. Teddy and the globe
1) Standing Teddy
LOC and other websites show some portraits of Theodore Roosevelt, standing or sitting beside a large globe. Teddy is standing a little ahead of the globe on both sides, right and left and gazed at the front. A quadrant circle reinforcement is observed on its stand. By comparing with the Teddy’s height, the diameter of the sphere and the height is calculated 80 cm, and 130~150 cm, respectively. Same pose as his pose, facing front standing a little ahead of the globe is not observed in the other presidents, and this shows that he really knew the significance of the globe enough and used its advantage.
2) Sitting on a chair
There are different posing Teddy sitting on a chair in LOC : one is facing obliquely sideways, the other facing to front with the book on the left hand. Teddy sitting in image of the Fine art.com looked at the camera. A quadrant circle reinforcement indicates the same globe as that of the standing posture. Besides, Teddy embraces a stuffed bear child in the photo of phactual.com.
3. NY Police Commissioner era.
A picture of website of spiritualpilgrim.net and Harvard Univ. is a shot in the office of NY City Police Commissioner. The arc pattern on a semicircle hidden by the armrest of a chair behind the desk shows the shadow on the spherical surface. This globe was confirmed by the reply from Harvard lib. Based on desk’s height, the height of the back crossbars of the chair is estimated 120.5 cm, and the crossing of the backrest, 114.1 cm, respectively. The height of the globe, equal to that of the crossbar is 80 cm, the diameter of the meridian ring is 52.2 cm; the sphere’s diameter is 45.8 cm. If the semicircle is the frame of the fire hole ring, the diameter of the globe becomes less than 45cm. He seems to be a considerable globe mania even in the position of an eastern local city, NY police commissioner. As Mr. Pobanz indicated, the author’s research also, clarified that Hitler did not use the globe for his authorization because of no picture of the posing beside the globe. On the other hand, Teddy was aware of its significance earlier than “Hitler’s megalomania” before over the quarter century, and used it for his authorization. Therefore, Teddy seems to be the original Megalomania, as far as the globe is concerned.
4. A globe repaired by wood craftsman
On donsbarn.com's webpage, there was a repair record of the Theodore Roosevelt’s globe. J. L. G. Ferris depicted a globe that closely resembles this in 1904. In this picture, Teddy is protesting to the Prussian King by pressing on the vicinity of the Caribbean Sea to Venezuela of the globe. But no photo of Teddy accompanied by this globe is observed. The height and diameter of the globe in this painting are estimated to be 109.4 (114.7) cm and 75.1 (78.7) cm, respectively.
5. Summary
Examination of portraits of the US presidents from the first to 45st, indicates that the kinds of globes and the amount of it depend on the master of the White House. No other president shows the same posture as that of Teddy’s posing accompanied by a large globe and facing front. This posing shows that he was aware of the significance of the terrestrial globe. Despite our common sense implanted by Chaplin’s Great Dictator, Teddy seems to be the original Megalomania, before over a quarter of a century in advance of that of Hitler. (The author used meaning of Megalomania restrictedly here).
