Description

A Davidson, Micro-Telescope, – c.1910, engraved F. Davidson & Co, 29 Gt Portland Street, London W.’ , the microscope is on a cast brass stand with single sided mirror on sliding collar, simple stage, rack and pinion focus with screw fine focus, complete with eyepiece and 3 objectives, with telescope tube to fit substage collar, complete in fitted French polished oak case.

F Davidson & Co were manufacturing opticians that traded from 29 Great Portland Street, London, from c. 1890 until 1922, and then from 143 Great Portland Street from 1923 until c. 1938.  The firm developed an attachment that may be inserted in the Abbé rim of a microscope and an image of a distant object is projected in air on the plane of the stage, and one which will further stand the magnifying power of the microscope. The whole microscope becomes the eye piece of the telescope. Depending of the configuration, the microscope can be converted to a terrestrial and an astronomical telescope as can be seen from the catalogue page shown above with the wording ‘Figure 1. The F Davidson & Co’s Davon micro-telescope configured as terrestrial (left) and astronomical telescope (right), as engraved in the company’s literature ‘The Davon micro-telescope and super-microscope 1910” .

F Davidson & Co sold the ‘Davon’ micro-telescope mainly for use as a photographic device with an included apparatus for taking photographs through the microscope. The device can also be used as a low powered telescope and comes with adapters that can be inserted into the socket under the stage of the microscope. As the accompanying telescopes are not very powerful the device was popular for terrestrial use and only minor astronomical use. The micro-telescope also comes with an attachment to allow the user to observe and measure photographic plates under the microscope, which was probably its primary use at Sydney Observatory in the early 1900s.

Sydney Observatory began producing astronomical photographs from the late 1800s. Government Astronomer Henry C Russell conducted numerous experiments with astronomical photographic equipment, presenting some of his earliest photographs to the Royal Society in 1890. The scientific instruments associated with taking astronomical photographs held an important place at the Observatory. In 1887 Russell commented that “the important place which photography has now assumed as a means of promoting astronomical discovery and research, demands some record should be preserved of the instruments”. Much of the photographic work done at Sydney Observatory assisted in completing the Astrographic Catalogue (Mapping the Stars) project. This world-wide project involved photographing and measuring the stars in both hemispheres.

This Davon micro-telescope with plate reading attachments remains of national significance due to its pioneering role in Australian science and its association with Australia’s earliest astronomers. It is also of international significance due to its association with nineteenth century scientific instruments and their makers.

The case measures 24 x 21.5cm (9.5″ x 8.5″).