An antique brass microscope with an integral transmitted illumination system by Carl Reichert engraved 'C. REICHERT WIEN VIII Bennogasse 26' in Vienna Austria and with the serial number '12586' allowing us to date the microscope to 1898.  It has a twin objective turret with twin coarse focus and single fine focus controls and a focussing condenser, there is a field lens and filter carrier on top of the light box which in turn holds a primitive transformer system and rheostat control. The integral illumination system was designed to provide transmitted light for viewing specimens, it houses a lamp and related controls, the circular aperture and iris diaphragm on top of the box controls the amount of light passing up through the condenser and onto the specimen. The bulb and components are present and intact but untested, the slide retaining clips and the screws retaining the base plate are replacements, the microscope is in good working order. This would have been a cutting edge piece of equipment in it's day and is now an extremely rare item and a superb collectors item.
 
Carl Reichert was an optician who established one of the principal microscope manufacturing firms in Europe in the late 19th century. Reichert married into the Leitz family in 1874 (and was son in law of Ernst Leitz). In 1876 in Vienna, he founded the Optische Werke C. Reichert. He employed some Leitz technicians, explaining one reason why his products were so similar to those of Ernst Leitz of Wetzlar. Reichert designed new lenses, lighting equipment for microscopes, and one of the first microscopes for the study of metal surfaces. Instruments were usually signed "C. Reichert, Wien". 
 
The Microscope stands 36cm (14") high when extended 33cm (13") when not.