Accession No
0964
Brief Description
simple microscope, aquatic screw barrel type, by Dollond, English, 1800 (c)
Origin
England; London
Maker
Dollond
Class
microscopes
Earliest Date
1800
Latest Date
1800
Inscription Date
Material
metal (brass, steel); glass; wood (mahogany); ivory; cloth (baize, cotton)
Dimensions
box length 236mm; breadth 150mm; height 47mm; height of barrel 59mm; diameter 31 mm
Special Collection
Robert Whipple collection
Provenance
Inscription
‘Dollond, lONDON’ (on stage)
Description Notes
Brass; circular cross-section stand screws into the box lid; pierced to take swinging concave mirror; stage slots into a socket at the head of the stand; within the stand is a rack operated pillar with socket, for the lens holder or screw-barrel, mounted on it. Accessories: brass screw-barrel body with threaded condenser tube bearing on 3 part brass stage with steel spring; lens holder; spring stage; 7 objectives marked ‘1’-’5’, 1 & 2 with dust caps; hand lens 2 lieberkuhn objectives; watch glass; turned ivory talc and ring box; 4 ivory 4-object slides; Live object slide; with mss ‘A List of the objects’; condenser stop; stage forceps; tweezers; Fitted mahogany tray in fitted mahogany box with green baize protection. Brass hinges and hook fasteners.
Condition good; incomplete, lens holder not located
References
Events
Description
Growing interest throughout the eighteenth century in natural history, and more particularly in pond-life, stimulated the development of the “Aquatic” microscope. This was initially designed by John Ellis (1710 - 1776) and is therefore often referred to as the “Ellis Aquatic”.
Ellis, a peripatetic naturalist, commissioned his first instrument in 1752 from John Cuff. It was designed to hold small samples of pond-water on a watch-glass stage. In this way the microscopic creatures contained in it could be observed. Several of these microscopes have dissecting tools as part of the kits and could also be used for microscopic dissection.
FM:40055
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