Accession No

2385A

Brief Description

achromatic compound microscope, by Andrew Ross and Company, English, 1837 - 1841

Origin

England; London; Picadilly; 33 Regent Street

Maker

Ross and Company

Class

microscopes

Earliest Date

1837

Latest Date

1841

Inscription Date

Material

metal (brass, oxidised brass); cork; glass; wood

Dimensions

height 508mm; breadth 250mm; depth 290mm box of slides length 445mm; breadth 295mm; height 112mm; oil lamp height 277mm; diameter of base 109mm

Special Collection

Provenance

Purchased from Sothebys; lot 20, 07/07/1978. Purchased with the assistance of a grant-in-aid administered by the Science Museum.

Inscription

‘ANDW ROSS & CO
Opticians
33 Regent St. Picadilly’

Description Notes

Brass; tribach foot with cork pads; brass pillar; joint with key clamp; limb carried oxidised brass stage; mechanical stage with sliding clip and spring bar; upper stage rotates manually; tail piece with swinging plano/concave mirror; triangular sectioned limb with rack; shoe with two knurled screws operating focus to tabular body; fine focus screw on the body bears down on brass ring round inner draw tube; fitted wooden box; 4 objectives all in brass cases; 3 signed ‘Andw Ross & Co’...2In. 1In. 1/4In; one just signed ‘A.Ross/London’ and dated 1853 on the objective. 4 eyepieces; lieberkuhn in a brass case; rotating diaphragm; stage condenser; stage forceps; bull’s-eye lens (no stand); live box; (?)substage stop with prism; [push-fit] polariser; slide [or preparation] slide.

See also records 2385B and 2385C

References

Events

Description
In 1837, Andrew Ross began to sign his instruments ‘& Co’ - the company being J.J. Lister. Ross and Lister collaborated over designing instruments that were sufficiently stable to match the power of Lister’s objective lenses.

This instrument was first described by Ross in 1839 and represents a totally new form of microscope. The limb was made in a single casting, which supported the body and stage. A rack at the back of the limb focused the body tube. The limb was then jointed to the pillar by a compass joint in the traditional way. Lister is thought to have been closely involved with the design for the limb, which is often referred to as the ‘Lister Limb’.

FM:42843