MAKER: Carl Schütz Optische Werke AG

GERMAN for the AMERICAN MARKET

Signed on the rear of the limb: Williams, Brown, & Earle Inc., Philadelphia in a pentagonal insignia.

c. 1920s

AUTHOR: Barry Sobel

Editor: Joe Zeligs

PLEASE CLICK ON ANY IMAGE FOR A LARGER VERSION

DESCRIPTION:
This is an attractive and sturdy medium-sized microscope imported from Germany in the first quarter of the 20th Century. It arises from a continental style foot with its Lister limb supported in a trendle joint which allows inclination from vertical to horizontal where a stop prevents it from rotating beyond the horizontal. The protruding rear toe prevents tipping over as it is inclined. It is nicely finished in glossy black for the foot and part of the limb. The portion of the limb encasing the optical tube is two-toned, the lower portion being a nicely finished darker color while the upper part including the fine focus control is bright lacquered brass. The optical tube itself is lacquered brass above the knurled ring near the top but as is normal, unfinished below that. Coarse focusing is via push-pull of the main optical tube. The knurled ring on the upper part of the optical tube is fixed and provides a firm grip for adjusting the coarse focusing. Fine focusing is adjusted by turning the calibrated ring with knurling. The substage concave mirror is on a gimbal at the end of the tailpiece. The tailpiece is attached to the portion of the limb that is under the stage and can be swung right or left. The instrument is signed Germany on the bottom surface of the stage and the Williams, Brown, & Earle Inc. pentagonal insignia is embossed on the upper rear portion of the limb. Two steel stage clips are present. There is a button-type of divisible objective and two eyepieces, one is 10X and the other is of lower power.

CONDITION:

This 100 year old instrument is in excellent cosmetic and working condition. As shown to the left, it provides nice low and medium power images. The optical tube does fit tightly in its receptacle and the fine focus works very well with no discernable image shift. There is no case.

HISTORY OF SCHUTZ AND SUCCESSORS

The Schutz company was originally founded c. 1900 in Cassel, by Carl Schutz, and specialized in binoculars, microscopes and telescopes. The name was changed in 1912 from Carl Schutz & Co to Carl Schutz Optische Werke AG. In the mid 1920s the company merged with Ruf & Co to create Schutz Ruf & Co. Cassel (the spelling of which was changed to Kassel in 1926). Schutz made relatively basic stands which they sold under their own label and, as seen on this page also wholesaled to dealers in other countries. Although the Schutz signature is not found on my instrument, it is found on instruments they sold themselves, including examples otherwise identical to the instrument featured on this page.

The author would like to thank Timo Mappes for identifying the maker of this instrument.

While the inclining version of the instrument, as featured above is rather uncommon, there is a a non-inclining version of this instrument which seems to be rather common. An example is shown here to the left.

Schutz also made a simple drum microscope which was signed Schutz A-G, an example of which was sold by American Artifacts in 1998(left) and a more complete jug handle handle continental style microscope complete with both coarse and fine focus and a screw-focusable substage condenser(right)which was also signed Schutz A-G. Both of these instruments apparently date to the 1912-1920s period.