EMIL BUSCH SMALL COMPOUND MICROSCOPE

DESCRIPTION:

This is a student level small compound microscope with black crinkle-finish horseshoe foot. It has coarse focus by rack and pinion but no fine focus. It has an inclination joint, but only inclines to the extent shown in the images. There is a no draw tube. There is one ocular and a single divisible objective. There is wheel of apertures diaphragm built into the underside of the stage. 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.

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 P. Aloe. The stands are of reasonably good quality construction. Like the other German microscope makers, they made several different sizes of stand and both a larger and a smaller pocket stand are also part of this collection. Their smaller 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.