Microscope Museum

Collection of antique microscopes and other scientific instruments

Microscope 518 (Henry Crouch; compound microscope, c. 1870)

Henry Crouch learned his trade as an apprentice with Smith, Beck & Beck. Henry left his masters and formed his own company, probably in early 1862. His younger brother, William, joined him. The original H. and W. Crouch shop was located on Commercial Road, London, and their earliest instruments bear that address. The Crouch brothers initially produced copies of the microscopes that Henry had made for Smith, Beck & Beck. The partners soon focused on producing good-quality, less-expensive microscopes for the middle-class microscopists and students. Henry joined the Royal Microscopical Society in 1863, and the Quekett Microscopical Club in 1866. Advertisements as early as September 1864 indicated a move to 64A Bishopsgate Street. For several years afterwards, the Crouches retained the Commercial Road location as their factory, although not as a retail location. The Crouch brothers dissolved their partnership in 1866, with Henry retaining the optical business. Henry Crouch’s business moved ca. 1868, to London Wall, then to Barbican in early 1873. About 1886, Henry incorporated as Henry Crouch Limited. Crouch sold the business in 1907 to S. Maw, Son and Sons. Henry then worked for that firm, supervising manufacture of microscopes and other equipment. Many Crouch microscopes that already existed were additionally stamped with the new owner’s name, and newly made ones were imprinted on the foot with “S. Maw, Son and Sons”. During the early 1900s, Henry Crouch began producing microscopes with horseshoe shaped, “continental” feet. Henry died in 1916. Microscope 518 is signed with “H. Crouch, 51 London Wall, LONDON”, and has the serial number 663, being dated to c. 1870. The mirror is missing. A similar microscope was described by Brian Bracegirdle in his 2005 catalogue of the microscopy collections at the science museum, London (Figure 1). In this catalogue, the microscope was described as “The flat tripod foot … has two verticals, between which the limb is slung in trunnions. A tube descends to carry the gimbal of the double-sided mirror on an arm. The stage is attached by a strong bracket; … The limb has long ways for the coarse adjustment, and a long body-tube, engraved with the signature. This has a nosepiece fine adjustment, long graduated drawtube, and Huygenian eyepiece. The unmarked objective has a Society thread and is about 1/4" focus. This is a well-made, basic stand, which gives a good image and still has adjustments which are firm”.

Figure 1. Henry Crouch’s compound microscope as featured in Brian Bracegirdle’s catalogue of the microscopy collections at the science museum, London (2005, Little Imp Publications, CD).