Microscope Museum

Collection of antique microscopes and other scientific instruments

Microscope 620 (Wollensak Optical Company; 150 power microscope; 1930s)

The Wollensak Optical Company was founded in 1899 in Rochester, New York, as the Rauber and Wollensak Optical Company by Stephan Rauber and brothers Andrew and John Wollensak. Renamed Wollensak Optical Company in 1902, it quickly expanded its optical manufacturing capabilities and became a major producer of camera lenses, shutters, and precision optical instruments. A key milestone came in 1906 with the acquisition of the Rochester Lens Company, giving Wollensak ownership of several important lens designs. The company grew rapidly, expanding its workforce from just 32 employees in 1902 to more than 600 by 1920. During this period, it also diversified into products such as microscopes, binoculars, telescopes, and field glasses, particularly after the loss of a major camera-shutter customer in 1920. Wollensak played a significant role in both World War I and World War II, dedicating much of its production to military optical equipment, including periscopes, aerial cameras, binoculars, and gun sights. In 1953, the company was acquired by the Revere Camera Company, and in 1960 became part of 3M. Under 3M ownership, Wollensak increasingly focused on photographic and microfilm products, but declining sales and mounting losses led 3M to sell the business in 1969. The successor company, Wollensak, Inc., struggled financially and filed for bankruptcy in 1972, ending nearly three-quarters of a century of continuous operation. The Wollensak name and optical assets were later acquired by former employee Rudolph Novak, who continued limited lens production under Wollensak Optical, Inc. during the 1970s. The company's surviving drawings, equipment, and lens inventory were eventually acquired by Virginville Lens Company, which registered the Wollensak trademark in 2005. Microscope 620 is an example of a microscope made by the Wollensak company from about 1925 to the early 1940s (Figure 1). The instrument was named 150 power Wollensak microscope and is engraved with “150 POWER, WOLLENSAK – ROCHESTER U.S.A., PAT. APPL’D.”. The patent applied for may correspond to USA patent number 2,026,722, with a patent date of 07/01/1936 (filled on 04/12/1934), referring to the rack and pinion arrangement seen on some of the company’s microscopes (Figure 2). The 150-power microscope was described in a 1935 catalogue of the company as “An achromatic microscope that fills a host of uses. It gives magnifications from 70X to 150X accurately calibrated in steps of 25X. The optical system is admirably adapted to photo-micrographic work. The base is detachable to permit the examination of solids that are too large to place in stage”.

Figure 1. Wollensak’s 150-power microscope as featured in a 1935 catalogue of the company.

Figure 2. Drawings found in USA patent number 2,026,722 (07/01/1936) awarded to the Wollensak Optical Company.