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Microscope

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made in England

Postcard of Microscope.
000-100-103-765-C
© National Museums Scotland

Microscope

This compound microscope was made in England in the late 17th century. It is unsigned.

The instrument has a nose piece for fine focus. All the lenses are now missing. The body is made of wood with a vellum-covered outer draw stained with orange and green mottling and gold-impressed tooled motives typical of both book-binding and optical instrumentation of the period.

Robert Hooke's Micrographia, published in 1665, greatly increased the popularity of microscopy and the demand for instruments.


Record details

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Online ID: 000-100-103-765-C
Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
Project: 0098: National Museums Scotland
Project description | View all records in project
Ref: National Museums Scotland  H.NL 36
Date: c. 1700
Late 17th century
Material: Turned wood body; white vellum covered paste-board draw-tubes; brass tripod on wood base
Dimensions: 13.75" min H
What: Microscope, compound
Subject: Jewellery: clocks, watches (NMAS Classification)
Who:
Where: ENGLAND
Event:
Description: Compound microscope, tripod type, English, c. 1700
References:
  • For microscopes of this period, see Nuttall, R. H., 'A Marshall Microscope in the Royal Museum of Scotland' in Microscopy 35 (1987) 
  • Turner, G. L'E., 'Decorative tooling on 17th and 18th century microscopes and telescopes' in Essays on the History of the Microscope, Oxford: 1980 
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