Flea glass, 18th century

Item Info

Title:
Flea glass, 18th century
Date:
1700s
Description:
Made of ivory. Essentially a simple magnifier with only one power (7x). Usually the compact design, no larger than the end of a thumb, included a cap or top containing a pin on which to place the specimen and a base with glass discs to serve as "slides" for small objects. Everything screwed together for ease in carrying. Typically, these were used to study tiny insects, hence the name.
Format:
magnifiers (lenses)
Digital Collection:
History of Medicine Artifacts
Source Collection:
History of Medicine artifacts collection, 1550-1980s
Series:
Anonymous Collection Artifacts
Provenance:
The History of Medicine artifacts collection were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a transfer in 2011.
Rights:
Free Re-Use
Public Domain
Identifier:
  • hanony0003
  • ref1221_mvn
  • homartifacts
  • duke:308835
  • homst03003
  • ark:/87924/r4cz32f5b
  • fe6bacaa-82cb-48f8-9dcc-70e1fb214c83
Permalink:
https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4cz32f5b
Sponsor:
Adopted by Harsha Murthy T'81 in memory of M.S.N. Murthy, M.D.