Microscope Museum

Collection of antique microscopes and other scientific instruments

 

    

Microscope 488 (unassigned maker; linen proving microscope; late 19th century)

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Microscope 488 is a linen proving microscope and should be dated to the second half of the 19th century. The foot of the instrument contains multiple openings calibrated in different sizes. The maker is unknown, but this little instrument was featured in important collections such as the Royal Microscopical Society, RV Giordano, and Science Museum collections (Figure 1).

 

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Figure 1. Linen proving microscopes as featured in several important collections: (A) Turner GE (1989) The great age of the microscope - Catalogue of the RMS collection; (B) Giordano, R. V. (2007) Singular beauty: simple microscopes from the Giordano collection; and (C) Bracegirdle (2005) A catalogue of the microscopy collections at the science museum, London, Little Imp Publications.