Accession No

1304

Brief Description

achromatic compound microscope, belonging to Irish astronomer and physicist Thomas Romney Robinson, made by Giovanni Battista Amici, Italian, circa 1835 - 1838

Origin

Italy; and England; London, 263 Strand [stage]

Maker

Amici, Giovanni Battista Pritchard, Andrew [stage]

Class

microscopes

Earliest Date

1835

Latest Date

1838

Inscription Date

Material

metal (brass, steel); glass; wood

Dimensions

box length 226mm; breadth 119mm; height 23mm

Special Collection

Cavendish collection

Provenance

Donated by Robert S. Whipple. Part of the Cavendish Collection.

Inscription

‘A. Pritchard, 263 Strand, London’ (stage)

Description Notes

Brass; folding 3 legged foot; square racked column; shoe with knurled screw carries stage; circular notched aperture with fittings for stage tools including brass slide clips and a swinging socket for stage forceps and stage condenser (not original); shaft for substage fittings including condenser lens with stop and socket; brass stage with steel spring and steel clamping screw with knurled brass knob which operates as a fine focus.
Swinging concave mirror on pivoting arm from column; bar limb with brass ferrules carries body; screw fit collar with 2 element eye piece; alternative eyepiece; stage forceps; live box; fitted wooden box with 4 long hand labels ‘Made by Amici & his gift to T.R.R....’ (see file for transcripts)(Robinson.Thomas Romney).
(The stand fits the box quite well, but the stage interferes with the body; possibly the whole stage is a later modification).

References

Boris Jardine; 'Amici microscopes and Thomas Romney Robinson'; Explore Whipple Collections online article; Whipple Museum of the History of Science; University of Cambridge; 2006: https://www.whipplemuseum.cam.ac.uk/explore-whipple-collections/microscopes/amici-microscopes-and-thomas-romney-robinson

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