Microscope, Lerebours

Lenses on a tube magnified small objects on the stage, and a push-pull focus made the picture sharp.

Date: 1829
Maker: Lerebours
Place: France: Île-de-France, Paris
Dimensions: overall: 15 5/16 in x 8 3/4 in x 16 in; 38.89375 cm x 22.225 cm x 40.64 cm
Museum: National Museum of American History
Credit line: U.S. Military Academy

This heavy compound monocular microscope has a push-pull focus, square stage, sub-stage aperture ring, sub-stage mirror, and tri-leg base. The “Lerebours Opticien / Place du Pont Neuf N. 13 / à Paris” inscription on the tube refers to the firm begun by Noël Marie Lerebours (1762-1840) and continued by his son, Noël Marie Paymal Lerebours (1807–1873). This was purchased for the U.S. Military Academy in 1829. That was one year before the first achromatic microscope lenses were produced, in England.

The museum's own record (Smithsonian, National Museum of American History)

Microscope, Lerebours

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