Description

Offered for sale is a collectable example of an antique monocular portable brass microscope by quality makers J Swift & Son of London.   The instrument is numbered 624 and bears the details of its maker J Swift & Son and the instrument will most likely date to around sometime in the early 1890s and certainly post-1884 when the firm’s name changed to J Swift & Son – see below.  It’s in very good condition and a very usable instrument that’s currently surprisingly well packed with the sort of features and controls that you normally on get on full size instruments.  It also makes a stunning and imposing display piece with its bespoke glass display case.

Background to J Swift from Antique Microscopes’ website:

James Swift were microscope makers trading from London and were founded in 1853 by James Powell Swift, who was the son of the watchmaker Thomas Swift. Before founding his company, James Swift was apprenticed to the well-known microscope maker Andrew Ross. In 1881 Swift brought in improvements to microscope design, including replacement of straight rack and pinion focusing with helical cut components along with a new fine focus mechanism.  In 1884, Mansell James Swift, son of James Powell, joined the company and the firm’s name was therefore changed to James Swift & Son.  Captain Scott was supplied with Swift microscopes for use on the RRS Discovery for his 1901-1904 Antarctic expedition, named in the catalogue of the time as the ‘Discovery’ model.  In 1903, Mansell Powell John Swift, grandson of the founder, joined the company.  In 1906, the founder of the company, James Powell Swift, died.  In 1912, the company was incorporated as a limited company and the firm’s name changed to J. Swift Ltd.  In 1942, both Mansell Powell and Mansell James died. In 1946, ER Watts and Son Ltd took over the company, mainly due to the association between the Watts and Swift families in earlier years.  In 1949, they employed John H. Basset who, in 1968, took over the company.

This example of a late Victorian Swift instrument is in very good to excellent cosmetic condition for its age and presents well with lovely gleaming brass-work details, bright lacquer finishes and just a little age-appropriate patination here and there.  It’s survived well over the last 130 years or so and the lacquered brass-work still catches the light as I hope the listing photos demonstrate. The instrument’s look and feel is of a quality not found in modern microscopes in that’s it’s fashioned from solid brass, giving it a solid feel despite its compact nature and quite an imposing presence when extended for use with coarse focus and both draw-tubes racked out.

Technical details – the construction is a brass tripod foot with folding legs, with twin uprights supporting a pivot and an Continental pillar supporting the upper limb.  Coarse focus is by rack and pinion via brass thumb-wheels which have a nice tactile feel.  The rack is the new-style diagonal cut, which has quite a smooth action and holds in position as it should through its working range – there’s also tension adjustment available for the dovetails.  Fine focus is via a small brass thumb-wheel located on the top of the pillar, being a vernier screw acting against sprung resistance on the limb, which also works well.

In terms of its optics, this microscope is fitted with a chromed optical tube which friction-fits into the upper limb carrier and there’s  double graduated chromed eyepiece draw-tubes, which hold position on adjustment.  The instrument is supplied with a single 23mm brass eyepiece, which works well giving nice bright images and is 10x magnification.  It’s also got a single objective lens with RSM thread which screws directly into the optical tube, as under:

– 2/3rds inch – 10x magnification – Watson

The magnification range available with its current set of optics is therefore is around therefore 100x.  I’ve tested the optics with various antique slides of insect and animal specimens and the images are perfectly acceptable when using good illumination.

The instrument tilts for inclined viewing and holds in position through its working range as it should.  The brass specimen stage is fitted with a slide holder with twin clips and a roller mechanism that runs along grooves in the edge of the stage and this works very well.  

Sub-stage there’s an Abbe-type condenser with centering, working iris and 28mm swing-out filter holder.  The condenser sits in a ring carrier that in turn is in a helical screw mount, allowing the condenser assembly to swing out for change of condenser type or maintenance.  Lighting is via an plano-concave mirror in a brass carrier and gimbal mount with a useful range of height and rotation adjustment, with good period silvering to both sides. 

The instrument has been very lightly lubricated with non-hardening grease, so that the controls operate smoothly.  This example displays really well having quite a presence measuring around 18 inches in height when fully extended for use which is surprising given its compact dimensions and portable nature when fully collapsed.  Overall, this example of a late Victorian Swift portable while being quite usable, should also make an imposing display piece, perhaps in a library or home office type of setting, especially when set up with an appropriate antique slide in its bespoke case giving a scientific display diorama. 

Owing to the weight and delicacy of this antique microscope and its large glass display case, it will be partially dismantled, carefully wrapped for shipping and dispatched by insured courier upon receipt of cleared funds.