Spencer no. 1 binocular laboratory compound microscope
Date: circa 1920
Inventory Number: 1312
Classification: Microscope
Subject:
Maker: Spencer Lens Company (1895 - 1945)
Maker: Bausch & Lomb Optical Company (1853-present)
Maker: Carl Zeiss Jena (1904 - 1948)
Owner: William Morton Wheeler (1865 - 1937)
User: Museum of Comparative Zoology (founded 1859)
Cultural Region:
City of Use:
Dimensions:
microscope: 32 × 12.3 × 19.4 cm (12 5/8 × 4 13/16 × 7 5/8 in.)
case: 35.5 × 18.5 × 23.5 cm (14 × 7 5/16 × 9 1/4 in.)
Accessories: Spencer objectives (3): 16, 4, 1.8 mm; Zeiss objective a*; Bausch & Lomb objective 1 1/2 "; filters (2); oculars (2): 6x, 10x; Abbe condenser; standing case
Bibliography:
Catalog of Spencer Products
DescriptionThis is an early Spencer no. 1 compound microscope.
The instrument has a horseshoe-shaped base, curved arm, and non-inclined binocular tube. A ring on the right ocular tube is for the adjustment of interpupillary distance; one ring on the left tube is to compensate for different strengths of the user's eyes. Nickel-plated levers at each side of the body move shutters to assist the previous adjustment. The microscope has a five objective revolving nosepiece secured by a nickel-plated ring. Coarse focus is by rack and pinion; fine focus by micrometer screw. The focus knobs and stripe on the arm are red brass. The rest of the instrument is black.
The microscope is designed so that a binocular body or a single tube (missing here) may be interchanged without removing either the nosepiece or objectives.
The microscope has a revolving, circular mechanical stage of 120 mm diameter. (The mechanical-stage attachment is listed as No. 493 in the Spencer catalog of 1924.) The stage has centering screws, nickel-plated stage clips, and a dovetail slot with sliding cover for add-on accessories. The substage apparatus includes a condenser, filters, and diaphragm, focusable by rack and pinion and a fine adjustment button. The substage mirror is mounted on a slider on its own track.
There is also a carrying case in wood, in which accessories are stored.
The instrument has a horseshoe-shaped base, curved arm, and non-inclined binocular tube. A ring on the right ocular tube is for the adjustment of interpupillary distance; one ring on the left tube is to compensate for different strengths of the user's eyes. Nickel-plated levers at each side of the body move shutters to assist the previous adjustment. The microscope has a five objective revolving nosepiece secured by a nickel-plated ring. Coarse focus is by rack and pinion; fine focus by micrometer screw. The focus knobs and stripe on the arm are red brass. The rest of the instrument is black.
The microscope is designed so that a binocular body or a single tube (missing here) may be interchanged without removing either the nosepiece or objectives.
The microscope has a revolving, circular mechanical stage of 120 mm diameter. (The mechanical-stage attachment is listed as No. 493 in the Spencer catalog of 1924.) The stage has centering screws, nickel-plated stage clips, and a dovetail slot with sliding cover for add-on accessories. The substage apparatus includes a condenser, filters, and diaphragm, focusable by rack and pinion and a fine adjustment button. The substage mirror is mounted on a slider on its own track.
There is also a carrying case in wood, in which accessories are stored.
In Collection(s)
SignedMarked: SPENCER / BUFFALO / U. S. A.
Curatorial RemarksThe date is approximated according to the microscope's serial number (56036).
This information was taken from the following online pdf document.
This information was taken from the following online pdf document.
Primary SourcesSpencer Lens Company, Catalog of Spencer Products (Buffalo, NY: Spencer Lens Company, 1924), 12.
ProvenanceFrom the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University.