Compound Microscope and Box with Accessories, by Charles Chevalier, Paris, c. 1825-50

The box has a threaded boss on the upper surface, slightly off centre, into which the stand is screwed. The boss will also take a cylindrical copper alloy bar to which the stand can then be screwed, giving extra height. A compass joint attaches an arm carrying the main parts of the instrument to the stand. A copper alloy pillar, with a square cross section, extends below the arm held by a single screw. A sleeve on the pillar has a shaped slot to take the support for the stage, below which is a rotating disk with four apertures. The disk can pivot through ninety degrees when packed into the box. The assembly moves on a rack and pinion mechanism for coarse focusing and a screw on the side of the sleeve operates the fine focus. The stage is mounted on a bar with a hexagonal cross section. It consists of a rectangular copper alloy plate with a circular hole and two copper alloy spring clips for specimens. Below the stage support is a second sleeve that slides on the pillar and carries a Plano-concave mirror on a pivoting copper alloy bar. At the end of the arm is a socket to support either a copper alloy ring that can hold simple lenses or the body. A hole though the arm takes a steel pin on a mill-edged knob to secure parts held by in the socket. The body consists of a horizontal copper alloy tube, inscribed with the manufacturer's name. The eyepieces push into one end of the tube. At the other end is another short tube set at right angles to the first. The objective and mounting for the body are set on this part. There are also two eyepieces both with removable upper lenses, and two objectives for the body both with removable lower lenses, two simple objectives that fit the copper alloy ring, a stage condenser lens, an Amici prism, a copper alloy and glass trough, a micrometre set in copper alloy with the inscription "Millimetre en 100 partis." and an oval containing the words "CHARLES CHEVALIER DEUX MEDAILLES D'OR EN 1834" stamped on the upper surface. The number 605 is stamped on the underside along with the number 16, which appears to be scratched into the metal. There are copper alloy forceps, a steel pin with a mill-edged copper alloy knob for holding the pillar against the stand when the microscope is packed, a camera lucida on a copper alloy sleeve. The box is mahogany with a single copper alloy carrying handle. The components fit into a drawer lined with red velvet.