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Nachet small model microscope with camera lucida (No. 350) |
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Age: c1881 Made by: Nachet et Fils. Made in: Paris |
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Nachet et Fils
17 rue St. Severin. Paris. |
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Imaging
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| This is a late 19th Century compound microscope made by Nachet; referred to as the " Microscope petit modele". It is mounted to a large base with a compass joint just below the stage insertion. The microscope body is press-fit into a support tube attached to a cantilever and fine focusing mechanism. The top thumbscrew turns a fine-pitch threaded rod that then moves the tube support. The stage has two dovetailed sample clips, and a three-position aperture underneath. The mirror (dia=3.3 cm) has one parabolic reflecting surface. Microscope optics consists of three ganged objective lenses, which are unmarked, and two eyepieces; one contains a reticle. Imaging is good, however this instrument does show marked chromatic aberration. This is not surprising as this is a low-cost student microscope. The base is engraved Nachet et Fils, 17 rue St. Severin.
This instrument is equipped with a Nachet camera lucida. This is a device that allowed the microscope operator to see the sample superimposed over a sheet of drawing paper set next to the microscope. Using this device the microscopist would be able to "trace" the sample onto the paper, thus making highly detailed and accurate drawings. See here for a short history of the camera lucida. Nachet et Fils refers to Camille Nachet and his son Jean Alfred, who joined the Nachet firm c1850. At that time the instruments were signed thus. See here for the Nachet timeline (in French). |
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