American Museum of Natural History Research Library
author: American Museum of Natural History

Through the Looking Glass: History of Microscopes (Exhibition)
birth: 1981 September 23
death: 1981 December 30
Exhibition. Opened September 23, 1981 and December 30, 1981. Located on Floor 2 in the Akeley Gallery at the American Museum of Natural History. Through the Looking Glass: History of Microscopes explored the evolution of microscopes and their impact and was organized by the Museum and the New York Microscopical Society.
Summary
Through the Looking Glass: History of Microscopes explored the evolution of microscopes and their impact and was organized by the Museum the New York Microscopical Society, and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (1, p. 1; 4, p.2). Roger Lyman Batten of the Department of Invertebrates served as scientific advisor and consultant, with assistance from Norman Platnick of the Department of Entomology and John J. Lee of the Department of Invertebrates (2, p. 11; 3, p. 11).
Highlights (1, p. 1-2):
*Examples of instruments from early Leeuwenhoek bead of glass (circa 1673)
*Modern optical microscopes, including field, polarizing, inverted, axiomat, and microtime
*Black and white and color photographs illustrating range of magnification and different uses of microscopes
*Section on the flea, comparing Robert Hooke's illustration in Micrographia (1665) and a scanning electron micrograph enlargement
*Section featuring the louse
*Video of Museum research project using its scanning electron microscope (SEM)
*Photographs illustrating use of the SEM, including views of a butterfly's wing, table salt, and red blood cells
* Research of the Departments of Invertebrates, Mammalogy, and Entomology
This is a condensed summary of the exhibition. For additional information, see Sources and/or Related Resources.