Microscope Museum

Collection of antique microscopes and other scientific instruments

Microscope 532 (H & W Crouch; Student’s binocular microscope, c. 1865)

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 532 is signed with “H & W CROUCH, 64A BISHOPSGATE ST, LONDON”, and has the serial number 308, being dated to c. 1865. This instrument was labelled as Crouch's Student's Binocular microscope in William Carpenter’s book “The microscope and its revelations” (editions of 1868 and 1875; Figure 1), where it was described as “This instrument was devised at a time when the construction of the Binocular was still almost exclusively confined to the makers of First-class instruments; and it had the great merit of bringing within reach of the Student a convenient and well-constructed Binocular, at a cost not greater than that usually charged for the addition of the Wenham prism and Secondary body alone. With the improvements it has since received, it still remains one of the best instruments of its class; and the Author, after considerable use of it, can strongly recommend it to such as desire to possess a Binocular at once cheap, good, and portable … may be obtained, in combination with the rotatory movement which the Author regards as so important”. The same instrument was named as Crouch’s Binocular Microscope in the 1870 James Queen’s catalogue (Figure 1), where it was described as “… one of the best instruments of its class in use, and we strongly recommend it to such as desire to possess a Binocular at once cheap, good, and portable … the double body being supported on a limb on the Lister model. The adjustment of the eye-pieces for the distance of the eyes, is made by a transverse bar which is attached to one of them, and which works through a slot-piece fixed to the other; so that if by the application of the finger and thumb to the projecting pin, the bar with the attached eye-piece be raised or lowered, the other eye-piece also is moved accordingly. The stage is circular in form, and consists of a plate of polished black glass, over which the object-holder slides in every direction with the greatest facility, and is so arranged as to afford entire concentric rotation in the optic axis; an indispensable feature in a good Binocular instrument”.

Figure 1. Crouch’s student’s binocular microscope as featured in the 1868 (left) and 1875 (centre) editions of W. Carpenter’s book “The microscope and its revelations”, and in James Queen’s 1870 catalogue (right).