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Microscope Museum Collection of antique microscopes and other
scientific instruments |
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Microscope
426 (Carl Zeiss; Greenough’s
binocular microscope, stand Xa; c. 1900) 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 426 is a Greenough’s binocular microscope, stand Xa (Figure 1), engraved with “Carl Zeiss, Jena” (with an
early design used between 1896 and 1906) and the serial number “Nº 37488”
(both pieces of information are barely visible). The instrument should be
dated to c. 1900 and has its original wooden box. Note: this instrument was kindly
donated by Dave Levell (Pembrokeshire, Wales) in May 2023. Figure 1. Carl Zeiss’s Greenough’s binocular
microscope, stand Xa, as engraved in a 1902
catalogue of the firm. |