Of the six surviving microscopes that belonged to Darwin (1809-1882), this is the very first that the scientist owned. It is a pocket version, a portable microscope that he or his father acquired in the years 1825 or 1826, but it is unknown where and at what cost. On the other hand, we know that this model created by Charles Gould was an innovation of the Cary firm, which was not afraid to affirm that its microscope was “considered by several scientists, after comparison, as superior and sharper than most instruments largest and most expensive of its kind”.
If the sales pitch was based on the opinion of a few scientists, it is because this type of microscope was aimed at enlightened and well-to-do amateurs, keen on the natural sciences since the end of the 18th century. The success throughout Europe of this model – which does not exceed 14 cm in height when unfolded – is therefore not surprising and accompanies the proliferation of learned societies. In the 19th century, it was undoubtedly the quintessential British elitist pastime, combining history and the natural sciences with expensive measuring instruments. This broad interest, then referred to as “natural philosophy”, happened to be the young Darwin’s hobby.
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Charles is not a model student. Son and grandson of doctors, he has no choice but medicine. He began studying it in 1825 in Edinburgh and immediately hated it. Freed from financial worries by the comfortable social status of his family, Charles abandoned human mechanics and became a member of the Plinian Society, a learned society of natural history founded in 1823, then went to wade in the puddles left by the tide, encouraged by zoologist Robert Grant (1793-1874).
He had a passion for zoophytes, which he studied using what he called in his old age a “miserable microscope”. This is an ingratitude that this instrument does not deserve, which opens the doors to an immense world and allows him to publish his first article in 1827. It is another infinite world that welcomes him the same year, when his father enrolls him in theology courses at the University of Cambridge.
This time, Charles preferred the beetles and the natural history lessons taught by the botanist Henslow (1795-1861). The latter also had Darwin embarked on board the HMS Beagle in 1831. Charles was nearly left ashore. His father, convinced of the futility of this trip, only allowed himself to be influenced after tough negotiations. In his eyes, the study of nature was a hobby of the wealthy, which tended to reinforce the term of the time which placed the microscope in the category of “philosophical toys”.
It is not known whether the small microscope was part of the Beagle’s voyage, as there is no clear indication of it. What is known, however, is Darwin’s astonishment when he learned that his scientific work, scrupulously reported by courier to Henslow, was a resounding success in the learned societies of his native island.
During the five years that his voyage lasted, the natural sciences aroused a frenzy constantly fueled by the innovations of the industrial revolution. York, Sheffield, Birmingham and London became renowned centers for the manufacture of scientific instruments, especially optical ones. There were nearly 500 manufacturers in the English capital in 1840. The Royal Microscopical Society was founded in 1839 and, following it, a multitude of amateur societies.
The craze for science and the microscope soon affected the whole of society. In 1857, the Reverend Edmund Saul Dixon predicted a “microscopemania”. Even Sherlock Holmes was won over by the phenomenon, while before him the designer William Dresser revolutionized the decorative arts by observing nature under a microscope, developing patterns for the Wedgwood potters, the maternal family of… Charles Darwin.
Upon his return, the success of his Diary made him a leading personality, like God before him. The small microscope, technically outdated for a long time, had only a recreational interest and Darwin gave it to his son Leonardo in 1864. The relic sold in 2022 for more than 700,000 euros.