Compound Microscope with Accessories in Case, by Edmund Culpeper, London, Early 18th Century

The instrument stands on a turned wooden base with a concave mirror mounted at its centre. Three turned copper alloy legs support the circular stage which has a pinhole, a bull's-eye lens and a sunken centre. The stage hole has a bayonet mounting that fits a circular spring stage. Three shorter legs stand on the stage, spaced between the lower legs, and support a copper alloy ring holding the body. The body tube is pasteboard covered in fishskin. The draw tube is pasteboard covered in green vellum with marks for the focusing positions. A lignum vitae collar at the top on the tube holds a field lens and the fitting for the eye lens, screws onto it. A copper alloy eyecup with a sliding dust cover fits over the eye lens. The copper alloy nose has an external thread to take objectives. The accessories comprise three objective lenses in copper alloy settings, two specimen compressors on copper alloy plates, a circular spring stage, an ivory talc box holding mica discs, a black and white dissecting disc in a lignum vitae setting, a lens in blackened eyecup by Andrew Ross and stored inside a red card box, another lens in blackened eyecup stored inside a circular red leather case, two black flat metal rings inside a copper alloy circular case, an eyepiece with convex lens in copper alloy collar, and eight lenses of various sizes, five of which have copper alloy collars. The oak pyramid case has a drawer for accessories which is lined with red baize and metal fittings. Pasted inside the case is a handwritten inscription and a trade card which has the image of two crossed daggers surrounded by scientific instruments.