Developed in England during the second half of the nineteenth century, this drum microscope is reminiscent of the original drum microscopes designed by Benjamin Martin and George Adams.

Constructed entirely from brass, this compound microscope was made in large numbers for general sale in London and its nearby communities. These microscopes enjoyed widespread popularity between 1820 and 1880, and continued to be sold into the early twentieth century. The basic design of these microscopes is very simple and includes a sliding body tube containing compound lenses and a base housing both the sample and a substage reflector to provide illumination. Focus is achieved with a rack attached to the knob on the side of the base housing. The microscope has several interchangeable objectives as well as lenses with Lieberkuhn reflectors for observing opaque samples.

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