Microscope Museum

Collection of antique microscopes and other scientific instruments

 

    

Microscope 19 (assigned to Deyrolle; c. 1900)

A picture containing sitting, table, small, box

Description automatically generatedA picture containing black

Description automatically generatedA close up of a weapon

Description automatically generatedA picture containing table, black, yellow

Description automatically generatedA close up of a device

Description automatically generated

The ‘Les fils d'Émile Deyrolle’, which traded from 1831 to 2003, was originally founded by Jean-Baptiste Deyrolle in Paris, France. He sold insects for natural history collections, and the business was passed down in the family and expanded to taxidermy and other natural history specimens. Four generations after opening the business the heirs changed the name to "Les Fils d'Émile Deyrolle” (they had taken over the business by 1896). At some point in history, they traded also optical instruments such as microscopes and other scientific equipment for the mounting, displaying, and maintenance and care of natural history specimens and collections. Microscope 19 is a simple compound microscope of French origin dated to c. 1900. The sliding tube contains an eyepiece and a lens formed by two lenses set in brass rings screwed onto each other (typical French design). The focusing is by manually sliding the tube but versions where the focus is controlled by a knob are also known. These types of microscopes appear in the catalogues of several American retailers such as B. Kahn & Son (where the versions with and without the knob-controlled focus were described respectively as the Challenge and Amateur models) and Meyrowitz (known as the ACME microscope model). An identical instrument, with a knob-controlled focus, is engraved in the catalogue Micrography of July 1900, edited by the Parisian firm ‘Les Fils d'Émile Deyrolle’ (where it was called microscope a renversement Modèle D) (Figure 1). Other companies where identical microscopes are featured in their catalogues are JH Steward, E. Vion, Latour and Derogy.

A close up of a device

Description automatically generated

Figure 1. Microscope a renversement Modèle D as engraved in the catalogue Micrography of July 1900, edited by the Parisian firm ‘Les Fils d'Émile Deyrolle’.

 

References

B Kahn & Son (c. 1890) Illustrated catalogue of optical and meteorological instruments (5th edition)

Emille Deyrolle (1900) Catalogue de micrographie

Le Compendium. Microscopes "Amateur" et "Challenge" (http://www.lecompendium.com/dossier_optique_92_microscope_challenge/microscope_challenge.htm), last accessed on 12.08.2020

 

LAST EDITED: 15.08.2020