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Microscope Museum Collection of antique microscopes and other
scientific instruments |
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Microscope 238 (Elliott Brothers; family microscope; c. 1860)
William Elliott founded a business in 1800 as a maker of drawing
instruments. By 1807, William moved the business to High Holborn and, by 1816
the firm was manufacturing items such as telescopes and barometers. In 1850
he moved to 56 Strand, London, and took his sons Charles and Frederick William
into the partnership. William Elliott died in 1853 and his sons continued the
business as Elliott Bros. Between 1858 and 1863 the company’s address was 30
Strand, London, and moved to 112 St. Martin’s Lane and 449 Strand in 1864.
The company began manufacturing electrical instruments in the second half of
the 19th century and, in 1893, they amalgamated with Theiler &
Co, telegraph and instrument makers. After a long history, the company was
taken over by G.E.C in 1967 and by Fisher Controls Ltd. in 1979. In the later
1980s they were taken over by Plessey, later Siemens Plessey. Microscope 238
is engraved with ‘Elliott Bros, 30 Strand, London’ and should be dated
to c. 1860. It is unclear if Elliott Brothers were the makers or only
retailers of this microscope, as identical instruments were featured in the
catalogues of several other companies of the time (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Family microscope as engraved in W.
McAllister’s 1867 catalogue (A), J Queen’s 1870 and 1872 catalogues (B), and
in the 1859 J. King’s book ‘The microscopist’s companion: a popular manual
of practical microscopy’ (C) References Gloria
Clifton (1993). An Introduction to the History of Elliott Brothers up to
1900,” Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society 36: 2 - 7. LAST
EDITED: 22.01.2022 |
