Microscope Museum

Collection of antique microscopes and other scientific instruments

 

    

Microscope 24A (assigned to Deyrolle; late 19th century to early 20th century)

A picture containing indoor, metal, table, sitting

Description automatically generatedA picture containing indoor, metal, table, sitting

Description automatically generatedA picture containing indoor, table, sitting, metal

Description automatically generatedA picture containing indoor, table, metal, old

Description automatically generatedA picture containing indoor, table, sitting, black

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 24A is a small student or 'elementary' microscope of French origin from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Focusing is by pushing or pulling the optical tube but similar instruments are known where focusing is by a rack and pinion system. A similar microscope appears in the catalogue Micrography of July 1900, edited by ‘Les Fils d'Émile Deyrolle’, under the name "elementary microscope with straight column, model A" (Figure 1, left). It is not clear if this firm actually manufactured their microscopes, but they definitely retailed similar instruments. These types of microscopes were still sold during the first half of the 20th century, for example described as microscope de poche dit miniature in the catalogue of the French company E. Vion from 1929 (Figure 1, right).

Figure 1. A Modèle A microscope with rack and pinion focusing and a bullseye condenser as pictured in the catalogue Micrography of July 1900, edited by ‘Les Fils d'Émile Deyrolle’. This model was sold for 22fr, while the simpler versions without rack and pinion were sold for 15fr. The same microscope appears in a subsequent 1931 catalogue of the same firm (left). Microscope de poche dit miniature as engraved in the catalogue of the French company E. Vion from 1929 (right).

 

References

COMPOUND PORTABLE MICROSCOPE, c. 1900, MODEL: Modèle A, MAKER: Deyrolle (https://www.microscope-antiques.com/deyrolleA.html), last accessed on 13.08.2020

Microscope élémentaire à colonne droite, hauteur 17 cm (http://www.lecompendium.com/dossier_optique_18_microscope_droit_a_colonne_17cm/microscope_elementaire_a_colonne_17cm.htm), last accessed on 13.08.2020

Microscope droit à crémaillère, de hauteur 21 cm (http://www.lecompendium.com/dossier_optique_78_microscope_droit_a_cremaillere_21cm/microscope_droit_a_cremaillere_21cm.htm), last accessed on 13.08.2020

Microscope à colonne droite, hauteur 24 cm (http://www.lecompendium.fr/dossier_optique_186_microscope_droit_24cm/microscope_droit_24cm.htm), last accessed on 13.08.2020

 

LAST EDITED: 15.08.2020