A FINE MONOCULAR COMPOUND MICROSCOPE BY ANDREW ROSS, LONDON, CIRCA 1858

heavily constructed in lacquered brass, signed on the back of the foot A. Ross, London and numbered 1810, bar limb supporting 8in. tube with triple nose piece assembly, substage condensing platform with concave/convex mirror, contained in a fitted case with double doors, with some accessories including, third nose piece, alternative eyepieces, pincers, and bulls-eye condenser on stand, -- 20¼in. (51.5cm.) high (assembled)

Bonhams Lots Road, 13th March 1997, lot 101.

Dr. Mill notes:

The Ross company was founded in 1832 in Clerkenwell but by 1857 was based in Holborn. Andrew Ross was the top London optician of his day and worked in partnership with J J Lister (father of Lord Lister) to create a true scientific tool. The form of stand with a bar limb (Lister Limb) and splayed foot was widely copied. This form of his stand was produced in 1851 for the Great Exhibition where it won the top Gold Medal. The serial no 1810 dates it to 1858. After Andrew's death in that year, his son Thomas continued the microscope business which finally ended around 1900.

The elaborate mahogany case contains signed and dated A. Ross objectives of 1^1/₂",1",1/2",1/4"; there is also a Ross lens of 1/8" with a non-standard thread probably from the 1830s. The 1/2" and 1/4" lenses are equipped with correction collars. Invented by Ross these enable the lenses to be corrected for cover glass thickness There are 4 eyepieces, condenser, analyser & polariser, bullseye condenser, and several small accessories.