Antique Wenham Binocular Brass Microscope by Henry Crouch, London – c1870, Cased

Antique Wenham Binocular Brass Microscope by Henry Crouch, London – c1870, Cased

£995

Antique generally good cosmetic and working condition Wenham binocular instrument serial no. 837 by Henry Crouch, London - circa 1870.

Circa

1870

Maker

Henry Crouch

Country of manufacture

UK and Ireland

Categories: Scientific, Microscopy

Description

Offered for sale is a charming collectable example of a good size antique binocular brass microscope by quality makers Henry Crouch of London, England.   The instrument is numbered 837 and bears the details of its makers and serial number on the main tube.  It’s a fairly early example of a Crouch instrument dating to around 1870 according to my dating table sources, in Wenham binocular configuration and is in pretty good cosmetic condition considering its age at over 150 years.  
 
Background to the Henry Crouch optical business – source Microscope Museum:
 
Henry Crouch learned his trade as an apprentice with Smith Beck & Beck.  He formed his own company in 1862 and his younger brother, William, joined him. The original H & W Crouch shop was located on Commercial Road, London with their earliest instruments bearing that address. The Crouch brothers initially produced copies of the microscope models that Henry had made for Smith Beck & Beck and this example no. 837 is evidence of that, with clear resemblance to Smith & Beck instruments of the period. The partners them moved on to producing good-quality, less-expensive microscopes for middle-class microscopists and students. 
Henry joined the Royal Microscopical Society in 1863 and the Quekett Microscopical Club in 1866. Advertisements as early as September 1864 indicated a move to 64A Bishopsgate. For several years afterwards, the Crouches retained the Commercial Road location as their factory, although not as a retail location. The Crouch brothers dissolved their partnership in 1866, with Henry retaining the optical business. Henry Crouch’s business moved around 1868, to London Wall, then to Barbican in early 1873. About 1886, Henry incorporated his business as Henry Crouch Limited. Crouch sold the business in 1907 to S. Maw & Sons. Henry then worked for that firm, supervising manufacture of microscopes and other equipment. Many Crouch microscopes that already existed were additionally stamped with the new owner’s name, and newly made ones were imprinted on the foot with “S. Maw & Sons”. During the early 1900s, Henry Crouch began producing microscopes with horse-shoe shaped continental feet. Henry passed away in 1916.
 
 
This example of a Crouch binocular is a really well-engineered and quite substantial instrument, suitable for both use and in the right setting as a signature display piece, with a wonderful lightly patinated look about it and bright golden flashes when it catches the light.  It’s endowed as one would expect for and instrument of this vintage, with some age and use-related patination with a few lacquer finishes showing light wear, which is quite common for antique instruments of this vintage.   It stands about 18 inches tall when racked out to focus a low power objective as shown fitted in the listing photos, with the eyepiece draw-tubes also extended and as such it makes a signature technical display piece with an imposing presence.
 
In terms of the technical details, the instrument stands on a brass reverse Y-shaped foot with twin uprights leading to the main pivot joint with tension adjustment available.  There’s a long Lister-type upper limb giving a good range of coarse focus travel, which allows low power high working distance objectives to be used for inter alia entomology, botany and similar applications.  The instrument tilts for inclined viewing and holds in position throughout the usable range of inclination.  Coarse focus is via the older-style straight-cut rack and pinion, with smooth action and good rack with no missing teeth, with the main binocular tube holding in position as it should on adjustment throughout its working range.  For fine focus there’s a thumb-wheel at the front of the optical tube, which moves the nose-piece only.  The fine focus mechanism appears slightly bent and it is operational. 

With its optics, this instrument is in binocular configuration with a Wenham-style prism in a shoe-carrier just above objective, which splits the light beam thereby illuminating both optical tubes: collimation is good.  There’s mechanically extendable eyepiece draw-tubes operated by a rack and pinion system which works well.  Extending the draw-tubes will increase magnification – you also have to re-focus.  

There’s one pair of top-hat eyepieces:

– approx 6x magnification

There’s four objective lenses all by Crouch in their correct brass canisters and a double turret shown fitted.  The objectives are as under – note the instrument is RMS in terms of objective thread diameter:

– 2 inches – approx 2.5x magnification
– 1.5 inches – approx 4x magnification
– 1 inch – approx 6x magnification
– 1/2 inch – approx 15x magnificiation

The magnification range available is therefore around 15x to 90x with the current set of optics.

The fully mechanical circular brass stage is attached to the limb below the pivot point and is a well engineered feature that’s a delight to use, with nice smooth action to its moving parts and external engraved degree scale.  It’s got thumb-wheel x/y adjusters for both axes with smooth operation.  The top-plate slides off and the whole stage rotates as demonstrated in the listing photos, although it won’t complete a full 360 degrees because the thumb-wheels catch on the main body of the instrument, so you get about 270 degrees of free rotation.  It also has an integral specimen slider/ledge for holding slides during inclined viewing and when the axes are being moved around which works well.  The x/y controls have a nice solid feel about them, offering good accurate control of specimen positioning, with rotation well damped.  

Turning to the compound sub-stage, we have a brass ring-mount for top-mounted accessories also with centering and height adjustment via a rack & pinion system with single-sided thumb-wheel adjustment.  It’s currently shown fitted with a wheel-of-stops with four aperture sizes available and positive feel when the apertures align to the optical axis.  There are additional accessories for the ring-mount as under:

– dark ground condenser
– sub-stage nicol prism polariser with rotation

Lighting is via a plano-concave mirror in a brass carrier on a height/rotation adjustable brass support arm and gimbal fitted to the limb tailpiece, with good range of adjustment also allowing oblique illumination as may be required for various applications.  The mirror silvering is in pretty good condition to both sides with reflectivity that’s perfectly adequate. 

There’s also the original case for the instrument which is in decent cosmetic condition for its age with well-fitted interior and the original retailer’s details on the inside of the lid.  Note – shrinkage crack to case lid and also the key is missing, so I may in due course fit a latch to keep the lid closed.

Accessories:

– stage forceps
– sub-stage nicol prism polariser and nose-piece nicol prism analyser
– live box

The instrument and its controls have been very gently dusted, lightly lubricated and operate smoothly with age-appropriate signs of wear and condition points as described, very much as one would expect for an instrument of this quality and age.  With its bright lacquered finishes, characterful patination and the signature double optical tubes, it’ll make a great display piece in the right setting and is also a usable instrument currently equipped for low/medium power applications.  It presents really well and I’m certain it will look the part in a library or home office, especially when set up with an appropriate antique slide, such as the insect slide shown in the listing photos. 

Owing to the weight and delicacy of this antique microscope and case, it will be partially dismantled, carefully wrapped for shipping and dispatched by insured courier upon receipt of cleared funds.  UK shipping will be by Royal Mail Special Delivery.

Thanks for looking and just message seller if any additional photos or details of condition are required.

 

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GB Arcboutant Scientific

Arcboutant Scientific based in Glasgow Scotland, with an interest in scientific collectables dating back to 1988. Now making available carefully curated fine examples, principally of antique microscopes and associated scientific equipment by quality English and Continental makers, to collectors world-wide.

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