Griffith "Club" Microscope (c.1882)
Griffith "Club" Microscope (c.1882)
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Ezra Horace Griffith founded his business in Fairport around 1875 offering microscope supplies and first described the Griffith Club Microscope in 1879. He contributed to the American and British Microscopy Journals on various microscope accessories applicable to microscopes in general. In 1883, Griffith was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Microscopy (RMS). He partnered with Bausch & Lomb and Gundlach in 1889. During this time, he sold microscopes through his own catalog, through retailers, and was also listed in the Bausch & Lomb catalog. The optics and accessories for the early models were supplied by his partners. In 1892, Griffith and Bausch & Lomb dissolved their partnership, and he partnered with Gundlach, who had also broken with Bausch & Lomb. It is considered the most sought-after microscope by American collectors.
his delicate and elegant microscope, known as the Griffith Club model, was made in the early 1880s, as it bears no serial number and was still manufactured in Fairport. It also lacks the patent number from 1886. It is preserved in very good condition, with most of its original lacquer remaining, and includes all the original accessories that accompanied it in its early years, such as the three triangular supports for centering prepared slides, the extra stand for securing the microscope to a table while working with samples, and the extension tubes for attaching an oil lamp. The focusing system, designed by Griffith himself, allows for very precise fine adjustment. It comes with a Bausch & Lomb eyepiece and objective lens, and another objective lens of Griffith's own design, likely added later. The entire assembly disassembles completely and fits into a small box (21 x 16.5 x 9 cm).
References: "Billings Microscope Collection" pag 90, fig. 167
"The Great Age of the Microscope", GL'E Turner pag 106, fig. 98
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