Antique & Scientific Instruments U.K.

MICROPHOTOGRAPHS

BACKGROUND

Much of what can be said about Dancer's microphotographs appears in the book “The Microscopic Photographs of J.B.Dancer” by Bracegirdle & McCormick. This book is an excellent reference source for collectors of these slides as it catalogues all the known examples when it was first published. However, that was more than 25 years ago and some discrepancies have arisen since, as more physical evidence has come to light over the years. Also, be aware of errors made (by Dancer?) in the original numbering of the slides. For example, in my modest collection, I have 2 different slides numbered JBD 28. One is The Creed and the other is of Wellington. The book refers to The Creed as 28 and Wellington as 48 (on Dancer's original list) but the slide illustrated in the book at 48 is actually numbered 28.

So far, I have collected many of Dancer's microphotographs and quite a few by others, some with a yellow label (pretending to be by Dancer?), some supplied by Dancer and relabelled by the retailer and some clearly prepared by others.



 THE MICROPHOTOGRAPHS

By J.B.Dancer – For a more comprehensive description of these microphotographs, please refer to the above mentioned book. If you don't have a copy, just let me know and I will do my best to find one for you.



No.1 Sturgeon's Tablet

 



No.2 Lieut.Col. Dickenson's Tablet





No.7 The Queen





No10 Empress Eugenie

retailed by Mason of Dublin



No.11 The Maddona

retailed by Mason of Dublin



No.15 Deer Stalkers Returning – listed as No.34 in Dancer's original list and Suter's list but clearly labelled No.15 on this retailed by Steward of London



No.19 Tintern Abbey





No.26 The Lord's Prayer, Illuminated

slide damaged but photograph still intact.



No.28 Wellington - listed as no. 48 in Dancer's original list but clearly numbered 28



No.28 The Creed, Illuminated







No.29 The Creed Plain





No.32 Bolton Abbey





No.15 Deer Stalkers Returning



No.35 The Auld Man's Best Argument





No.36 Her Majesty

slide broken but photograph still intact





No.38 Rustic Felicity



No.39 The Imperial Family of Russia

slide broken, labels still on but photograph missing



No.43 Windsor Castle







No.45 Bridge at Prague



No.47 Bonaparte

slide with label but no photograph



No.51 £20 Bank Note





No.51 £20 Bank Note

broken slide stuck on a clean slide – photograph still o/k



No.54 Lord Raglan's Tablet







No.56 The Noble Army of Martyers Praise Thee



No.66 The Holy Family

ringed cover slip – unusual. Maybe an after market addition (?)



No.76 Lord Panmure

chip out of corner of slide but photograph still o/k



No.85 Handel

label just about readable but picture missing



No.95 H.R.H.Maharajah Dhuleep Singh





No.99 Panoramic View of Paris

The cover slip is ringed (most unusual for a JBD microphotograph)



No.184 Blindman's Buff





No.227 The Song of the Shirt





No.229 A Psalm of Life

retailed by Armstrong of Manchester





No.236 The Village Blacksmith



No.241 The Origin of the Species

with hand written explanation on separate label





No.249 Bob Cratchet's Dinner



No.250 The Sermon on the Mount





No.252 Bab Ballads

slide broken and repaired, photograph still o/k



No.261 The Great Eastern







No.271 Panorama of Rome



No.277 Gray's “Elegy”

the last item on Dancer's original list



This microphotograph is labelled by Dancer's Daughters

Robinson Crusoe by J. Nasmiyth

The photograph is similar to the one shown for No.417 on the Suter list but looks to be more complete, in that the Suter listed picture looks to be an un-finished sketch whereas this photograph is of the completed sketch.



OTHER MICROPHOTOGRAPHS

slides with similar label to JBD but without the initials – the numbers on the labels do not refer to the original Dancer or Suter lists and are probably the preparers own list of numbered slides.



No.17 Massacre of the Inocents







No.27 The Agony



No.31 Paul Preaching at the Ephesus





No.68 Araceli da Caprino, Rome





No.84 £20 note





No.97 S.M.L.Imperatice (No.50 in the book)

slide broken and cover slip missing – photo in poor condition



No.107 Shakspeare

not the portrait shown in the book (No.433), nor No.25 but a bust with no framing, older looking and facing left.



Photographs by George Quick – two very nice preparations with the cover slips finely ringed.

Going with the Stream (No.92 in the book)





Nelson before the Battle of Trafalgar (No.49 in the book)





Samples by “A.R.” - Arthur Reeves (?)



Oh! painting by Fitzgerald



The Orphans (No.327 in the book)





The Prince and Princess of Wales

Slide broken but photograph still intact (just).



Going with the Stream

picture looks to be identical to the one by Quick



“Photographic Curiosity” slides by “J.S.”

Breaking Cover

broken slide, repaired by sticking the broken parts on top of a complete blank slide





The Highland drover's Departure



His Majesty Victor Emanuel







The Village Politicians





John Proclaiming the Messiah



Various other preparers -

No.49 by H.W. - The Poulterer





No.503 by E.Wheeler – Saturn (not No.347 in the book)

very nicely prepared with ringing on the cover slip and Wheelers name and address on the negative.



200 Kings and Queens of England

trade label by Watson, possibly prepared by Wheeler(?)



The Moon by J.C.S. (Not the same as No.344 in the book)





Laying Down the Law (No.71 in the book)

Trade label by Stanley, Railway approach London Bridge



The Lords Prayer, Illuminated (No.26 in the book)

no preparers label



The Moon. (not the same as No.344 in the book, nor the same as the one by J.C.S. Above). Diamond engraved on the glass slide “The Moon” and initials “HW” (?)



Queen Victoria and Infant Children (No.4 in the book)

no preparer's label



Map of England (No.439a in the book)

no preparers label





Death of Nelson. (not the same as No.382 in the book).



A View of Bristol







£1000 bank note



Photo – Victorian female in underwear

no preparers label



















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