Accession No

1808

Brief Description

achromatic compound microscope, wenham binocular type, previously owned by Sir Charles Parsons, by Ross, English, circa 1870

Origin

England; London

Maker

Ross

Class

microscopes

Earliest Date

1870

Latest Date

1870

Inscription Date

Material

metal (brass); glass; wood

Dimensions

height 500mm; depth 250mm; breadth 246mm

Special Collection

Heywood collection

Provenance

Purchased from the H.Heywood collection under estate duty exemption benefit with the assistance of a Science Museum grant-in-aid. Heywood acquired the instrument from Dorothy Parsons in 1949. Longhand note in box ‘Microscope of late Hon vld Sir Charles Parsons (to be called for)’.

Inscription

‘ROSS
LONDON 4126’
‘Zentmayer’
‘WENHAM’S BINOCULAR
by Ross, London’

Description Notes

Achromatic compound microscope, wenham binocular type, by Ross, English, circa 1870. Formerly used by Sir Charles Parsons.

Brass; raised claw foot; limb pivots between the two uprights; tail piece with swinging plano / concave mirror on an articulated arm; circular racked stage divided 0-360 by 10 to 1 with an index; square mechanical stage operated by two knurled brass screws; spring clips; fittings for stage forceps; shoe with pinion for racked dovetailed substage; substage with condenser; stop; iris diaphragm on racked rotating base divided 0-360 by 10 to 1; push-fit polariser graduated 0-(360) by 45 racked limb with knurled focussing screws either side; fine focus ring divided (0)-30 by 5 to 1; binocular eye piece with rack and focussing screw; screw fit objective; prism in the nose of the body in a tray with a knurled knob handle which can be removed; 2 push fit eye pieces both marked ‘B’; fitted wooden box containing box for accessories, both brass bound. 2 eyepieces marked ‘A’; 2 eyepieces marked ‘B’; box marked ‘Abbe illuminator’ containing tinted apertures etc.; various unsigned objectives in cases by Baker, Anderson and Crouch, Johnson; 2 signed objectives by Watson in signed cases 12 mm & 1/8”; signed by F. Koristka, Milano; Parabolic Reflector by Smith & Beck with a note ‘registered April 17th 1850’; Polariser.

References

Events