This nineteenth century European drum-style microscope was made by Georges Oberhauser around 1850 and is one of many descendents of the famous pocket microscopes made by George Adams and Benjamin Martin.

Oberhauser was widely respected for his craftsmanship and this microscope is a reflection of his high achievements as an instrument maker. The microscope foot (or base) is circular and heavily weighted with lead in order to provide a high degree of stability, a feature lacking on the English microscopes. The flat stage with clips was advanced for the period and the bi-convex lens used to focus illumination on oblique samples was a feature not found on most drum microscopes. Both coarse and fine focus are accomplished via the knob at the base of the microscope that is connected to a support that holds the body tube to the base. Fine focus moves the body tube by a screw thread mechanism, while coarse focus is achieved with a rack and pinion gear set. A large concave mirror positioned in a cut out at the base of the microscope is used to reflect illumination onto the sample.

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