Microscope Museum

Collection of antique microscopes and other scientific instruments

 

Microscope oil lamp by J. Swift & Son (late 19th century)

A close up of a lamp

Description automatically generatedA close up of a lamp

Description automatically generatedA close-up of a lamp

Description automatically generatedA close up of a lamp

Description automatically generatedA close-up of a lamp

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Microscope oil lamp brass holder engraved with “SWIFT & SON, LONDON”. This microscope lamp was described as “cheap microscope lamp” in an 1892 catalogue of the firm” (Figure 1) and should be dated to the late 19th century. The burner is engraved with “PATENTED SEPT.16.1862”, and “HOLMES BOOTH & HAYDENS, WATERBURY CT”. The company Holmes, Booth & Haydens started in 1853 as a partnership between Hiram W. Hayden, Israel Holmes and John C. Booth, in Waterbury (Connecticut, USA). Henry H. Hayden and James A. Hayden were also associated with the firm, hence the plural Haydens in the company name. The company was engaged in casting, rolling and drawing brass and copper, and were important manufacturers of lamps and burners. The company operated independently until late 1901, when it became part of the American Brass Company. The Holmes, Booth & Haydens was assigned at least 56 lighting-related patents between January 24, 1860, and January 30, 1894. The “PATENTED SEPT.16.1862” corresponds to the US patent 36493 for a lamp burner (Figure 2). James Swift were microscope makers trading from London and founded in 1853 by James Powell Swift, who was son of the watchmaker Thomas Swift. Before founding his company, James Swift was apprenticed to the well-known microscope maker Andrew Ross. In 1881 they made improvements to microscope design, including the replacement of the straight rack and pinion focusing to helical cut components and a new fine focus system. In 1884, Mansell James Swift, son of James Powell, joined the company and the name was changed to James Swift & Son. In 1901, Captain Scott was supplied with Swift microscopes for use on the R.R.S. Discovery for the 1901-1904 expedition, named in the catalogue of the time as the 'Discovery' model. In 1903, Mansell Powell John Swift, grandson of the founder, joined the company. In 1906, the founder of the company, James Powell Swift, died. In 1912, the company was incorporated as a limited company and the name changed to J. Swift Ltd. In 1942, both Mansell Powell and Mansell James died. In 1946, ER Watts and Son Ltd took over the company, mainly due to the association between the Watts and Swift families in earlier years. In 1949, they employed John H. Basset who, in 1968, took over the company.

A black and white image of several different types of equipment

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Figure 1. Swift’s microscope lamp as featured in the catalogues of several firms: (A) J. Swift & Son (1870s); (B) J Swift & Sons (1892, 1906); (C) Claudius Ash & Sons (1886), Reynolds & Branson (1887) and Down Bros (1906)

 

 

A close-up of a newspaper

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A drawing of a lamp burner

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Figure 2. US patent No. 36493 (16.09.1962), attributed to Lewis J. Atwood, describing a lamp burner.