Dollond aquatic Ellis type microscope
On application
This aquatic Ellis type microscope is signed ‘Dollond Londen’, which suggest and is probably made by Peter Dollond at circa 1775. The microscope is supplied with two objectives with Lieberkuhn, a fleaglass, a lens, a bone box with asseccories for sliders, a bonnani spring stage for use with the two ivory sliders. This microscope focuses by rack and pinion and the mirror is single sided.
The simple aquatic Ellis type microscope was promoted by the British naturalist John Ellis (1707-1776). The Ellis type became a popular design and was manufactured in various firms by a number of British and Continental makers. The use of the word aquatic’ is to describe these types of microscopes is due to the fact that the stage is large and the horizontal arm holding the objective can slide in and out and also swivel in an arc making it ideal for the observation of live aquatic organisms. A microscope that functions like this is said to have an ‘aquatic motion’. The microscope is shown fitted with the Bonnani spring stage, but it can also accommodate the glass insert which would be used for the observation of specimens in water.
Dimensions 14 x 21 x 21 cm
