Field Microscope
Field Microscope
81011
Field Microscope
This small hand held Field Microscope is made of brass with a turned ivory handle. The case is leather on card. This type of microscope is also known as a Flea Glass. The handle and lens are both hinged to a central section on which a nut mount to take a specimen holder is fixed. This takes the form of a needle with a screw fixed clamp to one end and of course, the needle point to the other. The mount can be fixed in its position to the central section so that you can move the needle closer or further away from the lens to focus. In addition to using the needle, flat specimens can be held by sliding them under a thin sheet of brass that is fixed to the central section. This form of microscope was in use as early as 1798. This one is unnamed and it is probable a number of companies made similar models; William and Samuel Jones of Holborn, London, perhaps being the most well known. The microscope is very well made with precision casting. The quality is apparent and it would have been a useful tool for the traveller interested in the natural world. Early 19th century.
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