Accession No

0197

Brief Description

compound microscope, side pillar type, by George Adams Snr., English, circa 1750

Origin

England; London; Fleet Street; Tycho Brahe's Head

Maker

Adams, George (Snr.)

Class

microscopes

Earliest Date

1750

Latest Date

1750

Inscription Date

Material

metal (brass); glass; wood (lignum vitae); ivory; fishskin (shagreen); cloth (velvet)

Dimensions

height 270mm; breadth 108mm; depth 90mm; box length 165mm; breadth 87mm; height 71mm

Special Collection

Robert Whipple collection

Provenance

Purchased by Robert Stewart Whipple. This object was part of the Crisp Collection, and was sold as Lot 167 at the auction of this collection held on 17/02/1925 at the Steven’s Auction Rooms. The price included a commission to T.H. Court. A photocopy of the Crisp inventory record is contained in the history file, and records that the object was “Purchased of Mr. . of York in 188 .”

Inscription

‘Invented and Made by GEO:ADAMS at Tycho Brahe’s head.’

Description Notes

‘New Universal single and double microscope’; brass folding tripod foot; forward facing foot with threaded aperture for knurled screw with socket for pivoted plano mirror; octagonal pillar with sliding column inside it; knurled clamp with indicating hand to graduations on column 2-8 ‘Double’, 1-8 ‘Single’; fine focus screw at base of pillar; dovetailed slide for stage fittings; ring stage with sliding ring below with clamp; black white ground; lieberkuhn holder, marked ‘Double 4-8’, ‘Single 4-6’; slides behind stage plate; wheel of 8 objectives marked 1-8; screw fit turned lignum vitae body; snout with field lens screw fit eyepiece and shade. Talc and ring box; stage forceps; [shade]; stop; brass spring; one 4-object ivory slide; one 5-object ivory slide; fitted wooden box, covered with black shagreen, lined with green velvet.

References

Events