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Microscope Museum Collection of antique microscopes and other
scientific instruments |
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Microscope
198 (Pillischer;
student microscope, c. 1852)
Moritz (M.) Pillischer
emigrated from Hungary to London, England, in 1845. He opened an independent shop
that produced microscopes and other scientific and mathematical instruments
in about 1849. Pillischer established his independent optical business at 419
Oxford Street, London. A bit later, before the spring of 1851, he moved to
398 Oxford Street and, in 1853, he moved again to 88 New Bond Street.
Moritz’s nephew, Jacob (who adopted the name “James”), moved to London around
1860 to work for his uncle. Jacob later became Moritz’s son-in-law, after
marrying one of his daughters. Pillischer did not make his own lenses until
1854, but instead provided French-made objectives with his instruments.
Moritz Pillischer was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society
in 1855 and joined the Quekett Microscopical Club in 1869. By 1881, Moritz
had moved to Hove, Sussex, although he retained ownership of the Pillischer
optical business. He handed over ownership of the business to Jacob in 1887
and passed away in his Sussex home in 1893. Jacob joined the Quekett
Microscopical in 1895, and the Royal Microscopical Society in 1898. After
Jacobs’ death in 1930, the company was inherited by Jacob’s three children,
Edward, Leopold, and Bertha, and the business was liquidated in 1947.
Microscope 198 is signed with ‘M Pillischer, 398 Oxford Str, London’ and has
the serial number 131. The instrument is an early Pillischer “Student”
microscope and can be dated to c. 1852. Figure 1 shows a later version of
this microscope, as pictured in a Pillischer’s catalogue from 1873, where it
was named ‘Improved Medical Microscope’.
Figure
1.
The Pillischer’s ‘Improved Medical Microscope’ as pictured in a 1873
catalogue from the firm. References Moritz
Pillischer, ~1819 – 1893; Jacob “James” Pillischer, 1838 – 1930 (http://microscopist.net/Pillischer.html),
last accessed on 12.08.2020 LAST
EDITED: 25.07.2021 |
