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EMIL BUSCH LARGE COMPOUND MICROSCOPE

C. 1915

SIGNED:BUSCH, Rathenow and also P. A'o, New York

SERIAL NUMBER: 22424

MODEL: UNKNOWN

DESCRIPTION HISTORY

Busch Large Microscope

Busch Ad

DESCRIPTION:

This is heavy jughandle compound microscope with black enamelled horseshoe foot. It has coarse focus by angled rack and pinion, fine focus by the silver-colored metal knob which is calibrated on the right side. It has a chrome-plated adjustment lever for the inclination joint on the right side. There is a short calibrated chrome-plated draw tube. There are two oculars and three objectives rotating on a triple nosepiece. It has an unusual facility for storing the second eyepiece in the metal hoop attached to the optical tube. This feature is unusual, but not unique as it occurs occasionally on other brands. The focusable substage is attached directly to the bottom of the stage by a pillar on which the substage travels for focusing. There is an iris diaphragm, achromatic condenser, and a slide-out filter holder. The gimballed mirror rests on a swinging tailpiece but is too short to allow it to rise above the stage. There are two stage clips. The ad is from a German magazine dated 1916.

Large Busch Microscope fine Focus

Busch Microscope

Large Busch Microscope Stage

Busch Microscope

Busch Microscope


HISTORY: Busch microscopes in general are not rare as many were produced. They were exported to the USA in the early 20th century and were sold by retailers like ALOE, a company in business in the USA from the mid 19th through the early 20th century. The stands are of reasonably good quality construction. Like the other German microscope makers, they made several different sizes of stand and a smaller stand is also part of this collection. Their pocket microscope was very popular and an example of it is also in this collection. Emil Busch took over an optics firm from his uncle August Duncker in about 1845 and built a considerable enterprise that grew even after his death in 1888. The firm prospered making photographic equipment, binoculars, etc until WWII. Remnants of the company were absorbed by optical companies in East Germany after WWII. Zeiss may have supplied their optical glass.