Accession No
6709
Brief Description
binocular compound microscope, achromatic, with accessories, in a wooden box, formerly the property of Cambridge Zoologist Sidney Frederic Harmer, by Carl Zeiss, German, 1920 (c)
Origin
Germany; Jena
Maker
Carl Zeiss
Class
microscopes;
Earliest Date
1920
Latest Date
1923
Inscription Date
Material
wood; metal (stainless steel, steel, brass, zinc); glass; cloth (velvet); plastic
Dimensions
Box, depth; 218mm, width; 220mm , height; 375mm. Microscope, depth; 210 mm, width; 115mm, height; 325mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Donated by an individual in 6/2019. Formerly the property of Cambridge Zoologist, Sidney Frederic Harmer. Sidney Frederic Harmer purchased it from C. Baker London, the Scientific Instrument Manufacturer.
Inscription
Carl Zeiss
Jena [on microscope]
Nr. 66459 [on microscope]
Achromatic [on four lenses]
Description Notes
Binocular compound microscope, achromatic, with accessories, in a wooden box, formerly the property of Cambridge Zoologist Sidney Frederic Harmer, by Carl Zeiss, German, 1920 (c).
The microscope and its accessories are housed in a wooden box with a metal handle on the top and front hinged door, fastened with a lock and key. The case has dovetail joints and four inlaid panels on the exterior of the door. Inside, there are several black painted metal or wooden inserts for holding the microscope and accessories in place, some lined with black velvet.
The microscope is black painted metal with unpainted knobs and eyepieces. It sits on a Y-shaped stand. A swivelling mirror on a hinged arm is attached to the bottom of the stage. The upper part of the stage is fixed, with a thin plate beneath it that can be moved using a knob on the front left corner of the stage. The height of the eyepieces is adjusted using two knobs coming off the central pillar.
The accessories/removable parts in the box are:
- Two achromatic eyepiece lenses
- Three sets of objectives, of different sizes
- Two veneered wood slats, each with a hinged part and black plastic end
- A black plastic U-shaped replacement stage with holes for screws
- A curved glass
- A wooden slide box containing blank slides (one opaque white, one transparent, six transparent blue, two transparent with central cavities, eight wooden), a packet of needles, a painted black metal ring, an orthochromatic eyepiece lens, the clamps for holding slides in places on the microscope, and a letter to S. F. Harmer from C. Baker (scientific instrument manufacturer) that accompanied the pair of Gifford orthochromatic eyepieces he ordered
37 parts [including the packet of needles as one]
1. Microscope
2. Box
3. Key
4. Eyepiece
5. Eyepiece
6. Objective
7. Objective
8. Objective
9. Stage
10. Wooden slat
11. Wooden slat
12. Slide box
13. Slide box lid
14. Eyepiece
15. Black metal ring
16. Slide clamp
17. Slide clamp
18. Blue slide
19. Blue slide
20. Blue slide
21. Blue slide
22. Blue slide
23. Blue slide
24. Clear slide
25. Clear slide with cavity
26. Clear slide with cavity
27. White slide
28. Wooden slide
29. Wooden slide
30. Wooden slide
31. Wooden slide
32. Wooden slide
33. Wooden slide
34. Wooden slide
35. Wooden slide
36. Letter
37. Curved glass
Complete [there are two empty slots for eyepieces, but these might be for the eyepieces on the microscope]
References
Events
Description
In the Victorian period the achromatic microscope became a vital tool in medical and scientific research.
When light travels through an ordinary lens each colour is bent through a different angle. In a microscope this causes what is known as chromatic aberration, whereby a spectrum of colours will appear around the image being viewed. Chromatic aberration was a big draw back when using early versions of the compound microscope.
Chromatic aberration was overcome due to the important work by Lister in 1830 who developed the achromatic lens for microscopes. The new type of lens prevented colour separation by combining two lenses made of different types of glass. The first lens that light passed through would split the colours and the second lens acted to bring the colours back together again. This produced a much sharper and clearer image than was previously achieved.
This microscope belonged to zoologist Sidney Frederic Harmer. Harmer became a lecturer in advanced invertebrate morphology at the University of Cambridge in 1885 and later served as superintendent of the Museum of Zoology. His research focussed on the embryology, anatomy, and taxonomy of Polyzoa and Cephalodiscus and he was the first Cambridge zoologist to use the binocular microscope.
Harmer became Keeper of Zoology at the British Museum in 1907 and served as the Museum's Director from 1919 to 1927. He was also President of the Museums Association in 1904, a fellow of the Royal Society, and a fellow of the Linnean Society (and President 1927–31). He died at home in Cambridge in 1950.
10/09/2020
Created by: Morgan Bell on 10/09/2020
FM:47433
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