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Microscope Museum Collection of antique microscopes and other
scientific instruments |
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Microscope
521 (Unknown
maker; Withering-type botanical microscope; c. 1800)
Microscope 521 is
known as a Withering-type botanical microscope and should be dated to c.
1800.
The instrument is made of brass and is supported by two brass rods, with lens
casings at each end. The brass stage can be moved up and down to focus. There
are holes at the edge of the stage which could be used to store a tweezer and
two additional instruments such as dissecting needles or a scalpel. This
instrument is contained in a cardboard case covered with purple leather. The
leather cover is damaged, but it is still possible to visualise a stamp-like
impression on one of the ends of the case, which reads “TOP”. The Withering-type microscope is
named after William Withering (1741 - 1799), an English physician and
botanist. The first reference to this type of botanical microscope appeared
in the first edition of William’s 1776 book “Botanical Arrangement”, in which
the instrument was described to perform field dissections of flowers and
other plant parts. Later adaptations of Withering-type microscopes included
the addition of a substage mirror for viewing transparent or translucent
objects. The addition of a small circular live box was also common. Figure 1
below depicts several versions of Withering-type botanical microscopes, with
microscope 521 closely resembling the instrument that is part of the Whipple
Museum of the History of Science (Figure 1A).
Figure 1. Examples of Withering-type
microscopes as featured in: (A) Brown, O (1986) The Whipple Museum of
the History of Science, Catalogue 7 – Microscopes; (B) Bracegirdle
(2005) A catalogue of the microscopy collections at the science museum,
London, Little Imp Publications (CD); (C) Negretti
& Zambra’s catalogue (1859; 1870s; 1885; late
1800s); (D) Lentz, T. L. (2017) Lentz Microscopy and Histology
Collection. Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University; (E, F)
Giordano, R. V. (2007) Singular beauty: simple microscopes from the Giordano
collection. MIT Museum; and (G) Turner GE (1989) The great age of the
microscope (Catalogue of the RMS collection), Bristol |
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