Description

Offered for sale is a fine collectable example of a large antique monocular brass microscope by quality makers Moritz Pillischer Opticians of London.   The instrument is numbered 13 and bears the details of its retailer J Martin Opticians who were based at 72 Adelaide Street, South Shields and the instrument will date to around sometime in the 1880s.  It’s in very good condition and a usable instrument that also makes a stunning and imposing display piece.

Background to M Pillischer Opticians

Moritz Pillischer emigrated from Hungary to London in 1845, where he began producing microscopes and other scientific and mathematical instruments from about 1849 onwards.  There were a number of different models produced by Pillisher over the active period, including the following:

– The Lenticular microscope – an early c1850s portable instrument
– The Kosmos microscope – a well-specified Lister-limb model normally monocular
– The International microscope – a bar-limb design with attached bulls-eye condenser
– The Improved Medical microscope – this example is a variant of this particular model
– The Student model – forerunner of the Improved Medical model

This example of a Pillischer monocular instrument appears to be an over-size version of the Improved Medical Microscope and will probably date to the 1880s.  The final listing photo shows this example next to a standard Pillischer of this model and you’ll see that the difference in scale is quite striking.  It was not uncommon in the Victorian period for manufacturers to allow retailers to re-badge their products and today we tend to refer to this practice as ‘white-labelling’.  This example would have been part of a bulk order by John Martin Opticians of South Shields that Pillischer would have manufactured unsigned and maybe it was even a prototype model as it’s considerably larger in stature than the standard Pillischer model of this type.  Pillischer would as part of the arrangement allowed the retailer to add their own details engraved onto the foot, badging the product as their own. 

There’s also an extract from Antique Microscopes showing an image of the 1873 Pillischer catalogue entry for the Improved Medical model in the listing photos.  I know from experience that this is example definitely by Pillischer, because I’ve had quite a few examples of this particular model in my own collection over the years.  In view of its original design for the medical profession, this instrument may appeal to collectors of medical instruments or indeed those currently in or retired from medical and allied professions.  It’s in fantastic cosmetic condition for its age and presents really well with lovely gleaming brass-work details, bright lacquer finishes and just a little age-appropriate patination here and there, but hardly noticeable.  It’s survived amazingly well over the last 140 years or so and the lacquered brass-work catches the light superbly 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 real heavy solid feel and quite an imposing presence.

Technical details – the construction is a large heavy Y-shaped brass foot with twin uprights supporting a pivot and an elegant elongated Lister-type upper limb, the design of which is reminiscent of Watson’s Jackson model microscope from the late Victorian era.  Coarse focus is by rack and pinion with the older-style horizontal cut, which has quite a smooth action and holds in position as it should through its working range – there’s also tension adjustment available.  Fine focus is via a small brass thumb-wheel located on the front of the main tube, being a vernier screw acting against sprung resistance on the nose-piece only, which also works well despite a slight bend to the threaded screw.

In terms of its optics, this microscope does not appear to be fitted with an eyepiece draw-tube, which I initially thought as rather odd, but given the scale of the instrument as is, maybe it’s not surprising and also not required optically.  The instrument is supplied with a single top-hat brass eyepiece, which works well giving nice bright images and will be about 6x magnification.

It’s also got a selection of objective lenses which screw directly into the optical tube one by one, as under:

– 2/3rds inch – 10x magnification – Watson
– 1/4 inch – 25x magnification – Pillischer
– 1/6th inch – 40x magnification – R & J Beck
– 1/7th inch – 50x magnification – unbranded brass objective
– 1/12th inch  Utility – 100x magnification – Watson – oil immersion required
(the objectives all have appropriate brass/bakelite canisters)

The magnification range available with its current set of optics is therefore is around 60x to 600x.  I’ve tested the optics with various antique slides of insect and animal specimens and the images are perfectly acceptable when using good illumination via the over-size illumination mirror.

The instrument tilts for inclined viewing and holds in position through its working range as it should and it can be tightened as required.  The all-brass specimen stage is fully mechanical with concentric x/y axis controls on opposite sides of the stage, along with rotational adjustment to the top-plate.  There’s a sliding top-plate with rest for holding slides steady, along with a further slider mechanism for holding slides in place, which works quite well.  The sliding top-plate can be removed from its dovetails for cleaning as may be required.

Turning to the sub-stage, we currently have quite a narrow brass mount on a dove-tail slider plate that’s currently fitted with a plug-in condensing lens.  It’s also possible to use the instrument without the condensing lens in situ with lower power objectives.  Lighting is via an over-size plano-concave mirror in a brass gimbal mount with height and rotation adjustment, with period silvering showing some dullness to both sides, with reflectivity that’s perfectly adequate.

The instrument has been very lightly lubricated with non-hardening grease, so that the controls operate smoothly.  This example displays exceptionally well having quite a presence extending to around 18 inches in height, with its bright lacquer finishes highlighting the lovely brass-work detailing.  Overall, this example of a Pillischer while being quite usable and provided you’re OK in terms of triskaidekaphobia should also make a fantastic display piece, perhaps in a library or home office type of setting, especially when set up with an appropriate antique slide.

There’s also the original storage case with this instrument which is in good age-appropriate condition with lovely deep sheen to its exterior mahogany finish.  It’s fitted with internal drawers with recessed campaign-style brass handles, a brass carry-handle and with key missing, a latch to help keep the door closed – note the door is also slightly warped, but still functional.

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