Oberhaeuser Drum Microscope (#191)
Made by: Georges Oberhaeuser
Made in: France
This Drum Microscope (Oberhaeuser #1956) has a lead-filled base with a substage cutout to reveal the planoconcave illumination mirror. The spring-loaded focusing mechanism is within the support shaft. The optics consist of three eyepieces and one objective lense. There is a removable 2.7cm epi-illumination lens (planoconvex) for observing opaque samples. The microscope body tube has no field lens, however it telescopes, presumably to allow for different focal length objective lenses. Specimens are held onto the stage with spring clips. This microscope comes with several, labeled glass slides and a mahogany storage case. The case also is stamped with the serial number "1956". This serial number dates the manufacture of the instrument precisely to 1849/50*.
The drum microscope represents an evolution from the "Pocket Microscope" of Benjamin Martin (1704-1782), with improvements in the focusing mechanism, substage mirror, and optics.
In 1830 Georges Oberhaeuser (1798–1868) formed an instrument firm in Paris with Trecourt and Bouquet. After c1835, Oberhaeuser worked alone making, among other instruments, drum microscopes. He established a partnership in 1857 with his nephew Edmund Hartnack (1826–1891). In 1860 Georges relinquished control of the firm to Edmund. Oberhaeuser's firm changed hands two times after that, and by 1896 it was purchased by Nachet of France. The full lineage of the Oberhaeuser company is as follows: Trécourt & Oberhaeuser (French) -> Oberhaeuser -> Oberhaeuser & Hartnack-> Hartnack -> Hartnack & Prazmowski (Paris AND Potsdam) -> Prazmowski (Paris)-> Bézu, Hausser & Co. -> (Alfred & Albert) Nachet 1896.**This microscope is identical to microscope #28 in the collection of the Royal Microscopical Society
*Thanks to:
Timo Mappes
Museum of Optical Instruments
and