A FINE POWELL AND LEALAND NO. 2 BINOCULAR MICROSCOPE, CIRCA ...

Hammer

£3,000

A FINE POWELL AND LEALAND NO. 2 BINOCULAR MICROSCOPE, CIRCA 1858

Signed on the support as per title, numbered 170 and inscribed Euston Road, London, contained in a fitted box with bullseye lens and stand -- 19 x 9in. (48 x 23cm.); together with a box of accessories, including a monocular eyepiece, four (of six) objectives in brass cases, two red leather cases with binocular prisms, additional eyepieces, tweezers, and a substage disc with four apertures, -- 11in. (28cm.) wide

(2)

Dr Mill notes:

Perhaps the most highly regarded of the 19th-century microscope makers, this firm was founded in 1840 by Hugh Powell. Two years later Peter Lealand his brother-in-law became a partner. The business continued until the start of World War I. The no 1 stand was developed in the 1860s and accompanied by the rather simpler no 2 and the smaller no 3. The address on the stand is 170 Euston Road London which was used from 1857-1905. It is dated 1868.

It is housed in a good quality case fitted with another case of extensive accessories. There is a Turrel stage carrying a further plate that slides and rotates and has spring-loaded grips for the slides. The rackwork substage carries two plates each moved by racks through arcs, but does not provide 360^o rotation. The coarse focus rack is cut horizontally.

Both monocular and binocular tubes are present The Wenham binocular has two prisms marked “For low power and opaque objects” and “For High powers” in addition to a blanking piece for mono use. The spare prisms are housed in red leather cases. Objectives housed in brass cases are 2, 1, 1/2,1/4, 1/8 in. A case for a 2/3in is present without the lens and does not match. There are 2 pairs of matched eyepieces and 2 single eyepieces. There are several condensors: a) a simple blue filter with a wheel of stops,b) a demountable stack of three lenses carrying wheel stops with a second wheel carrying dark-ground stops(signed) c) a large cardioid condenser d) a second dark field condensor e) A complex polariser with three swing-out plates.

Three of four opaque wells and a carrier are also present. There are three Lieberkuhns, two live boxes, a lever compressorium, forceps and a cork specimen holder.

Fine overall condition. Lacquer in good order with little signs of wear. Some missing components.