This early microscope is crafted entirely from wood, probably pear, and stands 12 inches high. The model featured below was redrawn from a photograph of the original microscope, which is part of the Billings microscope collection at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington DC.

The microscope body tube is composed of turned wood and has a threaded nosepiece that is secured by a heavy ring socket supported by three curved hand-carved legs. Focus is achieved by screwing the body upwards and downwards with respect to the ring socket. The eye lens is bi-convex and the microscope is equipped with an internal tube lens and objective that are both plano-convex with the planar portions of the lenses facing each other.

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