Images(9)

microscope

Object NameEllis-type Aquatic/Botanical Simple Microscope

Made FromBrass, Glass, Wood, Sharkskin, Velvet

Dateabout 1770

Place MadeEurope; possibly England

TechniqueAssembled

SizeOverall (assembled) H: 15.4 cm, W: 14.8 cm, D: 11.2 cm

Accession Number2016.8.1

Curatorial Area(s)

Exhibitions

Revealing the Invisible: The History of Glass and the Microscope

In Sparkling Company: Glass and the Costs of Social Life in Britain during the 1700s

Not On View

Physical DescriptionEllis-type Aquatic/Botanical Simple Microscope. Brass, glass, wood, sharkskin, velvet; assembled. Fourteen-piece simple Ellis-type microscope consisting of: (a) Black sharkskin-covered wood box with dark green velvet lining, hinged lid, and metal hardware. Threaded brass mount secured to top of box with three screws. (b) Central brass pillar with threaded base, which screws into brass mount on lid of sharkskin box. Central pillar outfitted with arm with threaded opening into which lenses can be secured, moveable mount for brass stage, and mount for brass armature for mirror. (c) Threaded brass mount and armature for mirror (mount swivels within armature). (d) Mirror fixed within threaded brass mount. (e) Brass ring-shaped stage with mount for stage forceps. (f) Concave glass insert for brass stage. (g) Brass stage forceps with black and white cylinder at one end. (h) Objective lens with brass mount inscribed "1". (i) Threaded brass cap for objective lens. (j) Objective lens with brass mount inscribed "2". (k) Threaded brass cap for objective lens. (l) Objective lens with brass mount inscribed "3" (no cap). (m) Lieberkuhned lens with brass mount inscribed (no cap). (n) Brass tweezers.
Provenance

Source Scientifica Opticae, Inc. - 2016-03-08