Microscope Museum

Collection of antique microscopes and other scientific instruments

 

    

Microscope 253 (unassigned maker; simple compound microscope; c. 1860)

A picture containing brass Description automatically generated

Microscope 253 is a small compound microscope of French origin and probably dated from c. 1860. The pillar arises from a circular brass foot and the mirror is supported by a tab. The instrument has a unique stage focusing mechanism, with a moveable rack embedded within the pillar and which is attached to the stage. The maker is unknown, but this instrument is very similar to another instrument maintained at the Royal Microscopical Society (Figure 1).

A close-up of a microscope Description automatically generated

Figure 1. Unsigned microscope from c. 1880 as featured in Turner GE (1989) The great age of the microscope (Catalogue of the RMS collection), Bristol.