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Microscope Museum Collection of antique microscopes and other
scientific instruments |
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Microscope
24B (assigned
to Deyrolle; late 19th century to early 20th
century)
The ‘Les fils d'Émile Deyrolle’, which traded from 1831 to 2003, was originally
founded by Jean-Baptiste Deyrolle in Paris, France.
He sold insects for natural history collections, and the business was passed
down in the family and expanded to taxidermy and other natural history
specimens. Four generations after opening the business the heirs changed the
name to "Les Fils d'Émile
Deyrolle” (they had taken over the business by
1896). At some point in history, they traded also optical instruments such as
microscopes and other scientific equipment for the mounting, displaying, and
maintenance and care of natural history specimens and collections. Microscope
24A is a small student or 'elementary' microscope of French origin from the
late 19th century to the early 20th century. Focusing
is by pushing or pulling the optical tube but similar instruments are known
where focusing is by a rack and pinion system. A similar microscope appears
in the catalogue Micrography of July 1900, edited by ‘Les Fils d'Émile Deyrolle’, under the name "elementary microscope
with straight column, model A" (Figure 1, left). It is not clear if
this firm actually manufactured their microscopes,
but they definitely retailed similar instruments. These types of microscopes
were still sold during the first half of the 20th century, for example
described as microscope de poche dit miniature
in the catalogue of the French company E. Vion from
1929 (Figure 1, right).
Figure 1. A Modèle A microscope with rack and pinion
focusing and a bullseye condenser as pictured in the catalogue Micrography
of July 1900, edited by ‘Les Fils d'Émile Deyrolle’. This model
was sold for 22fr, while the simpler versions without rack and pinion were
sold for 15fr. The same microscope appears in a subsequent 1931 catalogue of
the same firm (left). Microscope de poche dit
miniature as engraved in the catalogue of the French company E. Vion from 1929 (right). References COMPOUND PORTABLE MICROSCOPE, c. 1900, MODEL: Modèle
A, MAKER: Deyrolle (https://www.microscope-antiques.com/deyrolleA.html), last accessed on 13.08.2020 Microscope élémentaire à colonne
droite, hauteur 17 cm (http://www.lecompendium.com/dossier_optique_18_microscope_droit_a_colonne_17cm/microscope_elementaire_a_colonne_17cm.htm), last accessed on 13.08.2020 Microscope droit à crémaillère, de hauteur
21 cm (http://www.lecompendium.com/dossier_optique_78_microscope_droit_a_cremaillere_21cm/microscope_droit_a_cremaillere_21cm.htm), last accessed on 13.08.2020 Microscope à colonne droite, hauteur 24 cm (http://www.lecompendium.fr/dossier_optique_186_microscope_droit_24cm/microscope_droit_24cm.htm), last accessed on 13.08.2020 LAST EDITED: 15.08.2020 |
