magnifying lens
Date1945-1960
Inventory Number2009-1-0078
ClassificationLens
User
William Alexander Jackson
1905 - 1964
Dimensions10.5 × 16.8 × 16.8 cm (4 1/8 × 6 5/8 × 6 5/8 in.)
Material
DescriptionLarge tabletop magnifying lens mounted in a homemade mount of lead with brass feet (that appear to be made out of drawer pull knobs). A large part of the underside of the lens has been masked with glossy black paint, leaving a rectangular section clear.
ProvenanceWilliam A. Jackson, Librarian, Houghton Library, Harvard University, c. 1942 ; transfer to CHSI courtesy of Dennis Marnon, 2009.
Historical AttributesUsed by William A. Jackson (died 1964), first librarian of Houghton Library.
When Houghton Library opened in 1942, Jackson invested in a lot of state-of-the-art equipment for examining books and investigating them. The apparatus included microscopes, black lights, and special lamps. This was one of them.
William Alexander Jackson
Date: 1945-1960
Object number: 2009-1-0075
William Alexander Jackson
Date: 1945-1960
Object number: 2009-1-0086
Alvan Clark and Sons
Date: circa 1875
Object number: 1996-1-0511
Bausch & Lomb Optical Company
Date: 1940-1950
Object number: 1988-0009
