An important lacquered brass binocular microscope, signed on the stand Smith & Beck, 6 Coleman St. London 759, with eyepiece rack- and-pinion focusing, main rack-and-pinion focusing, later micrometer fine focusing, Wenhams prism, triple nosepiece on an R.& J.Beck Ltd turn table, square mechanical stage, stage screw lock, limb lock, twin tapered trunnions, mechanical sub-stage with rack-and-pinion adjustment, plano-concave mirror on sliding collar and swing arm, on turn table with three flat legs, in a fitted mahogany case, 1856 (with later adaptions) the microscope - 18¼in.high ;

Details

An important lacquered brass binocular microscope, signed on the stand Smith & Beck, 6 Coleman St. London 759, with eyepiece rack- and-pinion focusing, main rack-and-pinion focusing, later micrometer fine focusing, Wenhams prism, triple nosepiece on an R.& J.Beck Ltd turn table, square mechanical stage, stage screw lock, limb lock, twin tapered trunnions, mechanical sub-stage with rack-and-pinion adjustment, plano-concave mirror on sliding collar and swing arm, on turn table with three flat legs, in a fitted mahogany case, 1856 (with later adaptions) the microscope - 18¼in.high ;

A large associated mahogany case of microscope accessories with objectives 0 Smith & Beck 6 Colman St. London; 2/3inch; unsigned ¼in.(x4);0in.;½in.; Swift & Son London ¼in; a 1/8in. James Swift London; in. J.Swift & Sons London; 1.in.36° J.Swift & Son London; ½5in Wenham (dated 1 June 1856); a 3in. ROSS LONDON; a 1½in. Ross LONDON PRESENTED TO F.H.WENHAM, ESQR by THOMAS ROSS March 1861; a spot lense; and a Conrady N.A 95 Condenser and an empty container; polariser; prism, parbolic illuminator, achromatic condenser with swing out central stop, and other accessories - 19.in.wide; another case of accessories with two stage reflectors, four brass cased lieberkuhns 0in.; 2/3in.; 1.in.; 1½in.; and 3.in., with three collars; and another case of accessories with graduated monocular body tube and eyepieces
See colour illustration and details

Lot Essay

This is a very rare example of a large monocular Smith and Beck microscope, which has been adapted to a Binocular by F.H.Wenham. In 1847 James Smith took Richard Beck his apprentice as partner forming Smith & Beck. They moved to 6 Coleman St. London, where Richard Becks' brother joined and in 1857 became a partner, forming the firm Smith, Beck, and Beck. This and a hand written description on the ½5in. Wenham objective case suggest a date of 1856 for the manufacture of this instrument. A hand written note written and signed by F.H.Wenham states This is the Original Wenhams Binocular arrangement made by F.H.Wenham and fitted by him to his large Smith & Beck microscope. These parts being necessarily Detachable having been the first ever adapted. Also a prism for including the full aperture of high power objectives.
Wenham is known to have introduced his binocular in 1861, which ties in with the objective presented to Wenham by Thomas Ross in March 1861. Smith and Beck had exhibited this type of instrument (introduced 1847 as a monocular) at the Great exhibition of 1851, where they were awarded the council medal and were ranked second to Ross.
The instrument was re-sold in 1911 by Dollond & Co Ld, 35 Ludgate Hill London for the sum of ¨25.00 to C.A. Smith Esq, who in turn sold the instrument on in 1939 to Mr Alan Connally, in whose collection it remained until his death. The instrument is sold with the original Wenham note, the bill of sale by Dollond, and a letter of provenance from Charles Smith to Mr Connally discussing the merits of the instrument
Literature
G.L'E Turner The Great Age of the Microscope,1989 p.171-176

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