Robert B. Tolles

Robert Bruce Tolles was born 1823 in Connecticut and had little formal education. In 1844, he was apprenticed to Charles A. Spencer in Canastota, NY, and about 1858 established his own business in Canastota. By 1859, he was fabricating microscopes with Charles E. Grunow.

Tolles made major innovations in the optics of microscopes and held several patents.

In 1867, Tolles moved to Boston and became a partner in Boston Optical Works,

at 66 Milk Street, and later 131 Devonshire Street, Boston. The partnership broke up in 1872, and Tolles continued the business on his own. Charles Stodder, who had been the distributor of Tolles microscopes and telescopes since 1860, and formerly a partner in the Boston Optical Works, continued to sell Tolles products after the dissolution of the partnership.

After Tolles died in 1883, the business was carried on by Charles X. Dalton, who had worked for Tolles making metal microscope and telescope stands since his Canastota days and who had moved with him to Boston.