Exhibits in the Library

Items

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  Oberhaeuser Drum Microscope

  The drum-style compound microscope is crafted from brass and stands on a lead-weighted circular base. The designer of the instrument, Georg Johann Oberhaeuser (1798-1868) established a microscope-making business in Paris in the 1830s. The instrument is signed "G. Oberhaeuser, Place Dauphine, Paris" on the body tube. Due to the drum-style design, the substage mirror sits in a cylinder compartment with a square cut-out, by which the light can reach the mirror. On either side of the compartment are small thumbscrews that allow the position of the mirror to be adjusted. Above the mirror is a wheel of apertures mounted to the stage that can be rotated to control the amount of light that reaches the specimen. The square stage has two stage clips to hold slides in place. The column pillar connects the stage to the body tube. Another aspect of this design is that the microscope cannot be angled and so must stand completely straight when being used. Coarse focusing is, unusually, by a rack and pinion mechanism. The style usually included a sliding mechanism for focusing, and so this instrument may have been a custom order. The two threaded holes in the base suggest that the microscope was mounted to a desk for industrial or scientific use.
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  "Improved" Huxley-Type Dissecting Microscope

  The brass Huxley-type dissecting microscope can function both as a simple or compound microscope by using one or multiple objective lenses. The instrument stands on a tripod base, with two of the curved legs angled and the rear leg standing vertical. The circular stage is made from glass and is painted black. The substage mirror is connected to the rear leg and is set in a gimbal. The arm is connected to a column which extends from the rear leg via a rack and pinion mechanism. The thumbscrew connects to the rear leg controls the coarse focusing by moving the arm closer or further from the stage. The objective lens sits in a circular cut out of the arm, directly above the stage. The microscope has a wooden chest-style case with a lower interior drawer, which holds the accessories. The case is secured by a lock and push mechanism.
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  John Browning Compound Microscope

  The binocular microscope is marked "John Browning London. 280" on the stage. The compound microscope is made from brass and stands on a splayed Y-shaped foot with a decorative varnish. The lower limb ends in an inclination joint which allows for angling for observation. The microscope also consists of a sub-stage plano-concave mirror which sits in a gimbal and an arm extension which allows for adjustment. The square stage also has a decorative pattern which matches the foot. The stage has an attachment to hold the slides in place as well as two removable stage clips to hold slides in place. The slide can be adjusted via the X and Y axis by the two thumbscrews on the side of the stage. The instrument also has a sub-stage iris diaphragm with three apertures which can be adjusted by swiveling the disc. Coarse focusing is achieved by a rack and pinion mechanism controlled by a large thumbscrew parallel to the stage. Fine focusing is controlled by the by a smaller thumbscrew at the end of the body-tube.
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  Smith & Beck "Milk Box" Educational Microscope

  This microscope is a rare example as it has a cast iron base which appears to have been purpose-built rather than retrofitted. The actual instrument has been stripped of its gunmetal and black lacquers. The microscope is signed with a stamped with "Smith & Beck, London" on the side pillar. The cast iron base is attached to the dual side pillars which end in trunnions that allow for inclination. The square stage has a substage iris diaphragm which can be removed and a substage plano-concave mirror set in a gimbal. Coarse focusing is achieved by sliding the body-tube through the cylinder attachment connected to the main pillar. The fine focusing is controlled by knurled knob at the base of the pillar and the cast iron base is attached to a mahogany accessories tray that holds the objective and objective lens. The mahogany case is secured by a lock and key, which is broken. The base slides into the case horizontally. The microscope design was low end and became eclipsed by the binocular version —  "Popular Microscope" —  by 1865. The instrument was described by Richard Beck in his book, A Treatise, in 1865 and reviewed by Gerald Turner in his book, The Great Age of the Microscope (1989).
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  Pocket Microscope

  The simple brass microscope stands on a circular base. The base also acts as the stage and has a circular cut out which allows a specimen to be observed. The pocket microscope would have been used in the field due to its small size. The circular lens holder stands over the base/stage and there are two small columns that connect them.
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  Microscope Lamp

  The lamp is made from brass and cast iron. The instrument stands on a cast iron circular stand which is painted black. The circular column is connected to the base and holds the lamp via an arm. The lamps height can be adjusted by loosening the thumbscrew and adjusting the height along the column. The glass and brass reservoir is connected to the burner and has a blue glass chimney with a white porcelain shade which is removable. The shade is held by a circular attachment which stands adjacent to the column and can be adjusted vertically by a thumbscrew located at the bottom of the arm.