Wm. Matthews Camden Rd., London. Case-mounted portable microscope c. 1858

W. Matthews Camden Rd., London. Case-mounted portable microscope c. 1858

While this microscope has a coarse adjustment by rack and pinion, it lacks a formal fine adjustment. To make up for the lack of a fine adjustment, a long brass rod is attached to the pinion of the main focusing adjustment, effectively, increasing the radius of the pinion knob thus allowing it to turn more precisely or slowly than it would if the knobs were used directly.

W. Matthews Camden Rd., London. Case-mounted portable microscope c. 1858

W. Matthews Camden Rd., London. Case-mounted portable microscope c. 1858 . Stored in the case.

An identical example is located in the Science Museum, London; it is inventoried as follows:

CHEST MICROSCOPE BY MATTHEWS
Period: 1850-1860
Origin: English. Signed: Wm Matthews/Camden Road/London
Instrument: Height overall 380; length body-tube 134.
Case/Box: Case 295x118x67.
Inventory No.: A600260.
Negative No.: B3/1 [26]

W. Matthews Camden Rd

There has been the suggestion that there were two different William Matthews working in London during the second half of the 19th century. One firm was well known and worked out of Portugal/Carey Street, while the other worked out of Camden Road. Very little is known about the latter Matthews. So far, the only known microscopes signed with the Camden Road address are of the case-mounted type, the one shown here, the one in the Science Museum, and one that sold at auction in 2019.

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