The First Folding Microscope by Smith & Beck, 1847/8

English, dated from the Beck records to late 1847/early 1848, engraved to the limb ‘Smith & Beck 6 Coleman St. London 177’ the microscope with folded tripod stand, large plano-concave mirror in gimbal on sliding collar, with folding mechanical Turrel-type stagecourse rack and pinion focusing, fine screw adjustment, in a flat fitted French polished mahogany case containing 2 objectives by Smith & Beck, 3 eyepieces, live boxes, zoophyte trough, polariser and analyser, Leiberkuhn, wheel of stops,

Note: this model of folding travelling microscope is unrecorded in any of the Beck catalogues. No.177 is the first mention in the Beck sales books of a ‘Travelling’ microscope and was sold in early 1848 to J. D. Bagley. It was at this time that the firm Powell & Lealand released their design for a folding compound microscope around 1847. So it may have been made in competition or as a special one off that never made it into production. Either way this was, according to the Beck records the first folding microscope made by the company of Smith & Beck.