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Microscope Museum Collection of antique microscopes and other
scientific instruments |
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Microscope
106 (Carl
Zeiss; stand VB; 1920) In
1846, Carl Zeiss opened a workshop for precision mechanics and optical
instruments in Jena. He focused his activities more and more on microscope
production. Soon he was supplying not only the regional market but also
shipping his wares around the world. In 1866, Carl Zeiss recruited the
physicist Ernst Abbe to help him improve his microscopes. In 1877, Ernst Abbe
became a partner in the company. After the passing of Carl Zeiss in 1889,
Ernst Abbe created the Carl Zeiss Foundation, which would become the
company’s sole owner. Since the 1890s, Abbe’s findings and his style of
working have also been adopted in other fields of optics. This led to the
creation of all-new products, new business areas and rapid growth for the
company. In 1893, the first subsidiary was opened in London. Before the
outbreak of WWI, sites were established across the world, which then had to
be closed when war broke out. There were more ups and downs between then and
1945. Thereafter, the sites outside Germany have been developing in a stable
manner and today, Carl Zeiss AG is a holding company with several
subsidiaries. In addition to its sites in Oberkochen
and Jena, its main production sites are in Wetzlar
and Göttingen in Germany, Dublin and Minneapolis in the US, and Shanghai in
China. Microscope 106 is a Carl Zeiss stand VB microscope with a
non-inclinable pattern, with the serial number 81088. This instrument is
dated to 1920. Stand VB microscopes were usually used as laboratory and class
microscopes (Figure 1). Figure
1.
Carl Zeiss
stand VB microscope with a non-inclinable pattern as engraved in the
company’s 1913 catalogue. References ZEISS
History (https://www.zeiss.com/corporate/int/about-zeiss/history.html),
last accessed on 19.08.2020 Museum
Optischer Instrumente -
Zeiss Labormikroskop; Stativ
VA ohne Kippe von 1913 (https://www.musoptin.com/item/kursmikroskop-carl-zeiss-62132-1913/),
last accessed on 02.01.2021 LAST EDITED: 15.08.2020 |