Accession No
0702
Brief Description
compound microscope, clinical, attributed to Beale, 1890 (c)
Origin
Maker
Beale [attributed]
Class
microscopes
Earliest Date
1890
Latest Date
1890
Inscription Date
Material
wood (mahogany, ebony); metal (brass); glass
Dimensions
box length 261mm; breadth 105mm; height 90
Special Collection
Robert Whipple collection
Provenance
Purchased from T.H. Court in 03/1933.
Inscription
‘ARNOLD’ (signed on scissors)
Description Notes
Mahogany case with each side hinged to allow it to fold out; brass base in oval wooden mount lifts out of box; brass pillar to horizontal body; collar mounted on stand with push fit draw tube and knurled screw for fine focus; screw fit collar for eye piece; screw fit eyepiece (objective missing) screw fit shade and object holder with fittings for (condensers etc). In one side of box, scissors, dissecting knife, and three ebony handled pins; glass rod; on the opposite side a lift off lid to glass slides and talcs.
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 compound microscope is one of them, purchased through Whipple's trusted dealer T.H. Court in 1933.
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:45411
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