Microscope Museum

Collection of antique microscopes and other scientific instruments

Microscope 537 (Unassigned maker; compound microscope; late-19^th century)

Microscope 537 is a compound microscope and should be dated to the late 19^th century. The instrument is not signed and came with its original wooden box. A similar instrument was featured in a 2005 catalogue of the Science Museum in London (Figure 1), where it was referred as having a French origin and contained the following description: “The flat horseshoe foot is cast iron painted green; it supports a brass pillar topped by a compass joint. The tubular limb tilts on this, and has a sliding collar for the gimbal of the small cave mirror, and a bracket for the stage. This is a plain rectangle with two clips, and a smallish aperture. The top of the limb has a bracket for the body-tube sleeve, in which the tube slides. There is a two-lens eyepiece, and a three-button objective. A superstage condenser is carried on a double ball-joint arm attached to the sleeve”.

Figure 1. Compound microscope as featured in a 2005 catalogue of the Science Museum in London.