Microscope Museum

Collection of antique microscopes and other scientific instruments

Microscope 523 (Henry Crouch; Medical student’s binocular microscope, c. 1875)

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 523 is signed with “HENRY CROUCH, LONDON”, and has the serial number 974, being dated to c. 1875. The mirror is missing. A similar microscope was described by G. Turner in his 1989 “The great age of the microscope (Catalogue of the RMS collection)” (Figure 1). Here, we can read the description: “A medical student's microscope, it has a curved foot with trunnions supporting the limb. Coarse focus is by rackwork moving the Wenham binocular body-tube in a dovetail. Fine focus is by a short lever on the nosepiece. Interocular distance is varied by connecting bar and slit [missing in microscope 523]… The stage rotates and has an upper surface of black glass [missing in microscope 523].”

Figure 1. Henry Crouch’s student binocular microscope as featured in Turner GE (1989) The great age of the microscope (Catalogue of the RMS collection), Bristol.