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JAMES SMITH MICROSCOPE UNDERSTAGE DISC OF APERTURES

c. 1840

Wheel of Apertures

As magnifications increased, optimal illumination was increasingly important. Although a substage condenser would soon be supplied with Smith's microscopes, early-on only a wheel of apertures was given to regulate the diameter of the light coming through the stage. This example slides into a dovetail on the underside of the stage. Later a separate substage assembly would be added which could accept a variety of accessories, including a lensed condenser.