Microscope Museum

Collection of antique microscopes and other scientific instruments

Microscope 17 (Pillischer; student microscope, c. 1860)

Moritz (M.) Pillischer emigrated from Hungary to London, England, in 1845. He opened an independent shop that produced microscopes and other scientific and mathematical instruments in about 1849. Moritz’s nephew, Jacob (who adopted the name “James”), moved to London around 1860 to work for his uncle. Jacob later became Moritz’s son-in-law, after marrying one of his daughters. Pillischer did not make his own lenses until 1854, but instead provided French-made objectives with his instruments. Moritz Pillischer was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society in 1855 and joined the Quekett Microscopical Club in 1869. By 1881, Moritz had moved to Hove, Sussex, although he retained ownership of the Pillischer optical business. He handed over ownership of the business to Jacob in 1887 and passed away in his Sussex home in 1893. Jacob joined the Quekett Microscopical in 1895, and the Royal Microscopical Society in 1898. After Jacobs’ death in 1930, the company was inherited by Jacob’s three children, Edward, Leopold, and Bertha, and the business was liquidated in 1947.  Microscope 17 is a version of Pillischer’s Student microscope from c. 1860, with the serial number 1011 (Figure 1). The microscope is finished in lacquered brass and has an extendable eyepiece tube, original Pillisher lenses, rack and pinion main focus and fine focus. It has a square stage with manually adjustable slide rest. Below the stage is a mirror and a revolving wheel to control the level of light. Pillischer introduced this version of student microscope in the late 1854, and the basic form of this microscope was then used in other models over the next several decades, including the Saint Thomas Hospital (introduced in 1873) and the International (introduced in 1876) models (Figure 1). The microscope came with its original wooden box and several accessories, including a live box used for the observation of wet or dry animals. Early models of live boxes were constructed of ivory or brass and would often fit into the hole in the stage. Later, they were fitted onto a rectangular brass slide above the stage.

Figure 1. Illustration of Pillischer’s microscope models: (A) student microscope as illustrated by Pillischer in the 1862 London Exhibition; (B) Saint Thomas Hospital microscope, as pictured in the Pillischer’s 1873 catalogue; and (C) International microscope, as shown in an advertisement in The Lancet in 1876.

References

Moritz Pillischer, ~1819 – 1893; Jacob “James” Pillischer, 1838 – 1930 (http://microscopist.net/Pillischer.html), last accessed on 12.08.2020

Mc. Pillischer (https://antiqueoptics.eu/home/landen/verenigd-koninkrijk/mc-pillischer/), last accessed on 02.01.2021

LAST EDITED: 15.08.2020