Microscope Museum

Collection of antique microscopes and other scientific instruments

Microscope 121 (John B Dancer; Wenham-type ‘Large Best’ or ‘No. 1’ compound binocular microscope; c. 1870)

John Benjamin Dancer was a well-known Manchester optician and instrument maker, born in London in 1812, the son of Josiah Dancer, also an optician and manufacturer of optical, philosophical and nautical instruments. Josiah and his family moved from London to Liverpool in 1817. JB Dancer took over his father's business in 1835 and continued in business in Liverpool until 1841, when he entered into partnership with A. Abraham, a scientific instrument maker of Lord Street, Liverpool. He moved to Manchester to establish a branch of the business as Abraham & Dancer at 13 Cross Street. The partnership ceased in 1845. Dancer continued in business under his own name until 1878, when part of the business was transferred to his daughters Elizabeth Eleanor and Anna Maria (he had to give up his business activities because of ill health and poor vision). The business continued trading under the name of EE Dancer & Co. until 1900, when the entire stock and the process of producing quality microphotographs were sold to the London microscope dealer Richard Suter. Dancer became well known for the quality of his microscopes and received several honours, including a prize medal at the International Exhibition in London. He was appointed Optician in Manchester to the Prince of Wales. Dancer is perhaps best known for his photographic work, in particular on microphotography and the stereoscopic camera. He took the earliest known photograph of Manchester, showing a cutler's shop at Market Street in 1842. Dancer died in 1887, while living with relatives in Birmingham. Microscope 121 is a Wenham-type ‘Large Best’ or ‘No. 1’ compound binocular microscope signed by ‘J. B. Dancer, Optician, Manchester’, with the serial number No. 330. The instrument can be dated to c. 1870 and was the most popular Dancer microscope (Figure 1). The Wenham binocular body tubes are focussed by a rack and pinion and fine focus is by nosepiece levered thumb wheel. Interocular focus is by one thumb-wheel driven rack and pinion to the two eye tubes. The nosepiece houses a tray containing the Wenham prism and can be slid into or out of the optical axis to provide binocular or, for higher magnifications, monocular vision. The microscope came with its original wooden box containing a label of John B. Dancer but missing the drawers. The original eyepieces and other accessories are missing.

Figure 1. Dancer’s binocular microscope, dated from c. 1861, as featured in Bracegirdle (2005) A catalogue of the microscopy collections at the science museum, London, Little Imp Publications.