Accession No
0851
Brief Description
achromatic compound microscope, portable, by C. Baker, 1867 - circa 1900
Origin
England; London
Maker
C. Baker
Class
microscopes
Earliest Date
1867
Latest Date
1900
Inscription Date
Material
metal (brass); glass
Dimensions
case length 305mm; diameter 68mm
Special Collection
Robert Whipple collection
Provenance
Purchased by Robert Stewart Whipple from S.B. Fitchett in 08/1937.
Inscription
‘BAKER LONDON’ (signed on collar)
Description Notes
Brass; folding tripod support, 2 legs with sleeves and the third carrying a swinging plano/concave mirror and a socket for stage fittings with 2 clips; collar for body with draw tube; push fit eyepiece; screw fit objective 1.5” power with 3/8” in sleeve which push fits over the top.
Cylindrical leather case.
References
Events
Description
Robert Stewart Whipple had a particular interest in the history of optical instruments, especially microscopes. Over the course of his life Whipple would acquire more than two hundred examples—nearly 20% of the objects in his collection. This portable compound microscope is one of them.
Like many of his contemporaries, Whipple conceived of the gradual improvement of instruments in evolutionary terms. When microscopes were collected together and displayed chronologically, one could see the step-by-step advancements in optical quality and mechanical design that had led to the state-of-the-art instruments of the present day. In this way, historic instruments were vital material sources for understanding the progress of science itself.
08/10/2025
Created by: Hannah Price on 08/10/2025
FM:42833
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