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In
addition to the actual prepared slide mounts themselves, a great many
accessories and tools were needed that were either used in the manufacture and
finishing of the slides, or for their useful and safe storage. There
were also a large number of specialty slide types and devices for various uses, including
many for the study of live specimens. All of these
were produced in great variety, limited only by the need at hand and
the imagination! A small selection of these
varied and interesting
items is shown below. |
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| Above,
several
types of Compressoriums and "Live Box" slides...
these were primarily used for the study of living specimens. The
Pritchard piece has a micrometer engraved in the glass
for direct measurements. A 1" x 3" standard size papered slide is
included for comparison.
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Above
(top), an early Maltwood's Finder (3" x 1 1/4"), produced by Smith
& Beck from their address at 6 Coleman St., London (and thus
prior to 1865). Click
here for a description of the Maltwoods
Finder. A
more recent description
of how to produce a modern equivalent of the Maltwood's Finder can
be found here. Above
(bottom) and below, an interesting "Holman Life Slide" (3" x 1",
circa 1870s-80s) used for the prolonged study of aquatic microlife. The device
consists of a series of deep depressions and troughs cut and
polished into the surface of the thick (7/32"!) bottom slide
(see below), with a cover glass that can then be placed over to prevent evaporation. Note the small side groove for
replenishment of fluid without cover removal, via pipette or wick
and reservoir. |
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Shown
below, a slide ringing table. This tool was used
for various tasks in the construction and finishing
of microscope slides, but primarily for placing ringing cements around
the circular cover slips to seal and finish them. Coloured ringing
cements were sometimes used to give the finished mount a decorative
appeal. Many variations of this device are seen, with this
particular one provided by Flatters, Milborne & McKechnie from
their Longsight address in Manchester (only in business between 1909-1913). It is
also notable for having no slide holding clips, and a porcelain working surface. The brass deck
consists of movable circular discs with pins to
"auto-center" and hold the slide being worked on. Whatever the
design, all were similar in use. |
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Many
of the established optical shops and supply houses offered
compact cabinets containing all of the materials and equipment
necessary to mount slides. The one shown below has the
secondary label of C. (Charles) Collins from his 157 Great
Portland St., London shop address, thus circa 1875 to 1890. |
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| Below,
two types of diamond tipped tools used in slide production, of brass and mahogany construction. The top tool was
used in combination with a straight edge to etch lines on
large sheets of glass in preparation for breaking into smaller
slide sized pieces. The two bottom tools are diamond stylus
pens (with protective caps), used for engraving specimen
descriptions, date and maker details, designs etc. onto the
finished slide surface. Three engraved slide examples
are shown below the diamond tools, photographed against dark
paper to enhance the engraving. Engraved label commercial
slides were more common up to the 1850s,
with these examples illustrating several types. Top: a
Micrometer, Middle: an 1840s preparation of
fossil sponge in Agate by J.T. Norman, and Bottom: a diatom
mount with decorative engraved pattern by Frederick Marshall
(aka FM). |
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| Above
(top),
a slide preparation tool used for compressing and
holding the glass cover slip in place while mountant
(normally Canada balsam) hardened. Made of mahogany
and brass, available through Smith & Beck. Above
(lower) a generic form of the same tool, made of
brass rod and cork. (collection of B. Stevenson)
Below,
a small hand pump operated vacuum chamber, used to
remove air bubbles from the liquid mountant beneath cover
slips during slide preparation. This was accomplished by reducing the
ambient pressure over the slides, which would have
been placed in the covered
and sealed tray area. (from the collection of B.
Davidson) |
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| A
great variety of cabinets and cases were available
in many materials (most often wood), styles, and sizes.
They ranged from small boxes holding only a few slides
to large ornate floor to ceiling furniture pieces
capable of housing many thousands of mounts. Slides were
held both flat and "on-edge", with the flat
type being generally accepted as the better method for
long term stability of the mounts. |
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| Shown
above, a selection of the commonly seen hinged box type
cabinets or cases, with removable trays. These were usually made
of pine or mahogany wood, holding various numbers of trays,
with each slide being stored flat in it's own small
compartment. The most common sizes were the 4, 6, 8, and
12 tray cases with 6 slides per tray (thus 24, 36,
48, 72 slides respectively), and the larger "double
size" 12 slide per tray type, usually seen with 12 trays
in each case, storing a total of 144 slides.
Below,
a variety of cases, all designed to hold slides in an
on-edge position. The chief benefit of this design is
the ability to store a greater number of slides in a
compact size case. The smallest boxes are a fabric
covered wood construction, and were retailed with the
collections of slides that each contained (all four of the
gray-blue cases have collections of small papered mounts
by Amos Topping) The larger cases are beautifully
crafted of velvet lined mahogany wood, with inlaid brass
fittings and brass latches; each with an approximate
capacity of 75 to 100 slides. The bottom image is of an
unusual triple level hinged walnut wood cabinet capable
of holding 288 mounts (If anyone has any information on
this cabinet, as to manufacturer, possible dating, etc.,
I would be most interested to know more about it). |
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| The
four larger wood cabinets shown below, all have hinged
front doors, with slide out removable drawers. The two
smaller pine cabinets each hold 252 slides (the top one
with 21 drawers of 12 slides in each, and the bottom one with 18
drawers of 14 slides). The larger ornate cabinet is very
well made of various woods, with a storage area under
the domed top, and a hidden storage area in the base. It
additionally has 28 drawers, each holding 33 standard
size 3" x 1" slides, for a total of 924. The
simple but beautifully made mahogany cabinet (on the
left in the bottom image) has 35 numbered drawers, with each
drawer also capable of holding 33 slides, thus giving a
total storage for 1155 mounts. |
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