Items

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  Brass and Wood Telescope

  The small Victorian 2-draw pocket telescope is made from brass and mahogany. The telescope has its original patina. The telescope focuses via a sliding mechanism of the body-tube through the draw-tube.
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  Magnifying Glass

  The magnifying glass is made from black stained mahogany with a long decorative turned handle.
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  Magnifying Glass

  The Victorian "hammer" magnifying glass/loupe is made from brass and has a dark wood handle. The brass has two etched lines around the circumference of the lenses. The instrument would have been used by jewelers for inspecting their products or as a magnifying glass for reading.
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  Botanical "School" Microscope

  The botanical entomological microscope consists of a brass tubular pillar stand that screws into the lid of the wooden case. At the top of the pillar is a fixed arm that holds the three stacking objectives that can be used together or individually. The round black stage with slide clips elevates up and down the pillar manually simply by lifting it up and down the pillar as desired. The gimbaled sub-stage mirror is attached to the lower pillar. The design was often called a "School Microscope" because it could be used for educational purposes such as particular examination of botanical specimens, small insects or insect parts, water fleas and other objects that could be readily collected and examined. This instrument is an English import and follows the design of the Society of Arts School Microscope of the 1855 time period. The design is similar to the earlier model of the Ellis Aquatic microscopes. It was also considered an inexpensive, simple microscope and became a popular model. The wooden case is secured by two swinging brass hooks.
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  Transitional Compound Microscope

  The microscope follows an early Victorian design which is similar to those built by Pritchard and Horne & Thornthwaite around 1840. The microscope has a pre-RMS (Royal Microscopical Society) thread and optics probably manufactured in France although the overall construction of the instrument is British. The microscope itself stands on a heavy lacquered brass lead filled base with a supporting pillar screwed into the center. At the top of the pillar is a compass type joint on which the limb pivots. An unusual feature of the construction of this particular instrument is the way that the focusing pinion is held tight between two separate parts of the limb. A gimbaled mirror with a white plaster reflective back is located at the end of the limb; above this is the simple stage with filigree patterning and a slide clip. The body tube is supported on a stepped piece of brass at the top of the triangular bar. The French mahogany cabinet with campaign type recessed handle on the top with lock and key missing. Also has fitted drawer for accessories.