Leitz, based in Wetzlar Germany, had a sales office in NY when this microscope was sold.
The following was extracted from
The Journal of the Royal Microscopical
Society, 1899
Leitz Travelling Microscope.
This instrument (fig. 3) packs into case 21 by 14
by 7 cm., and weighs only 4 Ib. It will be seen
from the figure that to set up the instrument for
use, the mirror and stage have to be attached, and
the tube which carries the ocular must be unscrewed
and reversed. It will also be seen that it has
rack-and-pinion coarse, and micrometer-screw fine
adjustment; the only point not quite clear in the
illustration being the method of folding the foot.
This foot is a very ingenious one, consisting of
two solid rectangular bars of brass lying against
each other when the instrument is packed, but which
can be opened out so as to make an angle of some 40
degrees, in which position they are firmly held by
a spring-catch, and as there is no inclination,
this gives ample stability.
Another later model of the Small Travelling
Microscope is also represented in this collection. It differs somewhat from the earlier example shown on this page with
respect to the tube, stage, and its storage. The stage on the later version
is permanently attached to the stand. It is turned to the
side when the microscope is placed for storage in the case. There is a
lever that locks the position of the stage when setup for use. In contrast, the stage of the
earlier example of the travelling microscope is not permanently
attached to the body of the microscope. For storage in the case, it must
be removed from a slot on the body of the microscope and placed in a slot located in the case. While the
later model has a draw-tube, this is absent in the earlier model. Instead,
in the earlier model, the tube which carries the ocular is stored in
the outer main tube; it must be removed and reversed and then screwed to the
outer tube to assemble the microscope for use.