Microscopy Primer
Light and Color
Microscope Basics
Special Techniques
Digital Imaging
Confocal Microscopy
Live-Cell Imaging
Photomicrography
Microscopy Museum
Virtual Microscopy
Fluorescence
Web Resources
License Info
Image Use
Custom Photos
Partners
Site Info
Contact Us
Publications
Home

The Galleries:

Photo Gallery
Silicon Zoo
Pharmaceuticals
Chip Shots
Phytochemicals
DNA Gallery
Microscapes
Vitamins
Amino Acids
Birthstones
Religion Collection
Pesticides
BeerShots
Cocktail Collection
Screen Savers
Win Wallpaper
Mac Wallpaper
Movie Gallery

Dellebarre Monocular Brass Microscope

This elegantly crafted monocular brass compound microscope was manufactured by Louis F. Dellebarre sometime around 1777. The model featured below was redrawn from photographs of the original microscope, which is part of the Billings microscope collection at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington DC.

The microscope is similar in design and execution to Dellebarre's Dutch Microscope made in 1795 and described elsewhere in the museum. A three-leg brass tripod base, attached to the bottom of the square pillar, supports the microscope. Positioned at the lowest portion of the pillar is a substage double mirror, which swings on a gimbal and is attached by a double compass joint. A double convex lens above the mirror serves as a condenser to focus light on a specimen positioned on the circular stage. The stage is hinged to fold upward and is supported on a box slide that is translated with a rack mechanism. A sliding arm holds the body tube using a leather-lined split ring with a spring catch and screw clamp.

The body tube is composed of three sections: a nosepiece for the Lieberkühn reflector and objective, a central support tube, and the eyepiece tube. These sections may be separated to increase the tube length of the microscope. The eye lens is bi-convex and is mounted in a bezeled cell and covered with a screw cap and sliding dust cap. Although not achromatic, the microscope was termed the Universal model.

BACK TO EIGHTEENTH CENTURY MICROSCOPES

Questions or comments? Send us an email.
© 1998-2022 by Michael W. Davidson and The Florida State University. All Rights Reserved. No images, graphics, scripts, or applets may be reproduced or used in any manner without permission from the copyright holders. Use of this website means you agree to all of the Legal Terms and Conditions set forth by the owners.
This website is maintained by our
Graphics & Web Programming Team
in collaboration with Optical Microscopy at the
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.
Last modification: Friday, Nov 13, 2015 at 02:19 PM
Access Count Since September 5, 2000: 42855
For more information on microscope manufacturers,
use the buttons below to navigate to their websites: