Accession No

6679

Brief Description

photomicrographic camera and microscope, by F. Davidson and Company, English, 1920 (c)

Origin

England; London; 29 Great Portland Street

Maker

F. Davidson and Company

Class

optical; microscopes

Earliest Date

1900

Latest Date

1940

Inscription Date

Material

metal (brass); wood (oak); glass; cloth/leather (? bellows); ivory

Dimensions

430mm (width) x 195mm (depth) x 210mm (height)

Special Collection

Michael J. Clark Bequest

Provenance

Inscription

On body tube:
F. Davidson & Co.
29 Gt Portland St
London. W.
Patent No. 13251/12

On camera:
F. Davidson & Co. 29 Grt Portland St. London W.

On base:
F. Davidson & Co,
29 Grt. Portland St. London W.

Description Notes

Photomicrographic camera and microscope, made by F. Davidson and Co., English, ca. 1920

Microscope with attachable camera allowing for photomicrography. The body tube sits on a square brass base with two clips underneath it for affixing slides; next to the body tube is a swinging concave mirror in a gimbal; next to the mirror there is a rod attached to a knob that tightens to prevent the microscope from pivoting on its centre (this is necessary, when the camera is attached, so that the setup remains parallel to the ground); finally, a small knob on the body tube allows adjustment of the size of the microscope's aperture (?). Two knurled knobs attached to pinion and rack adjust the distance between the body tube/stage and the microscope's "base" -- a double-lens tube attached to a square oak platform. This oak platform nests into a hole in one end of the camera, also of oak, with small metal clamps to keep it in place; a bellows connects this end with the larger end of the camera, which has a hinging frosted glass back with clamp.

The foot of the microscope is a raised, heavy metal tripod; the camera has a thin metal stand that keeps it upright. On the camera there is an ivory (?) inlay, with the inscription "F. Davidson & Co. 22 Grt Portland St. London".

The microscope-camera sits on a third element, a solid oak base. The foot of the microscope sits nearest the ivory inlayed label, with a small hinging plank of oak to keep it in place; the camera sits on a raised platform, and the plate end of the camera nests between two fixed bars on a moving segment of the raised platform. There is a knurled brass knob that moves the platform, and the plate end of the camera with it, allowed for carefully controlled opening the bellows to the desired extension. A second, smaller knurled knob is connected to a rod that turns a small oblong piece of wood underneath the moving oak platform; this may have been used to fix the moving platform in place, though it no longer accomplishes this. The entire solid oak base is of two parts, with the microscope-camera sitting on a top plank, which is connected to a second, longer bottom plank by four pivoting metal bars on tracks. This allows the camera to be raised or moved forward and backward relative to the bottom plank, though the purpose of this is unclear.

Condition: good, complete

References

Events