Candlestick with Condenser

Item

Title

Candlestick with Condenser

Description

The brass candlestick has a bulls-eye condenser attachment. The candle stick can function with or witho
ut the attachment. This accessory was used as an artificial light source to the microscope if and when natural light was unavailable. Candlesticks and lamps were commonly used by microscopists with the added modification of the bulls-eye condenser. Its origins can be found in Robert Hooke and illustrations shown in his book, Micrographia, which show the use of a glass globe filled with water to help intensify and concentrate the light from a candle. The use of optics to intensify the light of a candle or lamp was explored more closely in the nineteenth century with the creation of the bulls-eye condenser, which became a popular accessory to a microscope.
Condition:

Cosmetically: The brass is in good condition and the magnifying glass is clear with no signs of stain or age.
Optically: The lens is clear and functional.
Mechanically: The instrument is functional.

Subject

Microscope Accessory

Creator

Unsigned

Source

Dean Reynold's Microscope Collection Powerpoint http://www.microscope-antiques.com/lamphx.html

Publisher

UNC Charlotte

Date

c. 1800s

Contributor

Laura Burgess

Rights

Texts and images from this collection may not be used for any commercial purpose without prior permission from the Graduate Office, UNC Charlotte.

Relation

N/A

Format

Candlestick: 12 1/4" tall
Diameter of Condenser: 4"
Diameter of Base: 4 1/2"

Language

N/A

Type

Three-dimensional object

Identifier

101207

Coverage

Unknown

Item sets

Microscopes

Tags

Microscope Accessory
19th century
Brass
Unsigned
glass