A tiny gentleman

[nid_dabeille]

I have come to realize that I love the word "tiny."  If something is described as tiny, I can't help but be attracted.  Just now I found this on ebay in the medical and scientific antiques category.

RARE, TINY, UNSIGNED, COMPLETE SCREW BARREL MICROSCOPE
A very rare and early screw barrel microscope with ivori (sic) simple lens on ornate brass arm and 4 numbered and capped objectives. Although unsigned, it is most assuredly from a fine 18th century maker. The flared simple magnifier eyepiece, the roping of the brasswork, the capped objectives, the shaped forceps, etc. would indicate that this was a tiny gentleman's pocket/field microscope of the highest quality. The bone sliders are numbered, the caps and objectives match, there is no damage to any part of this set including the forcep tines and black/ white disc. The threads and spring of the barrel (5/8 " or 20 mm. in diameter) are flawless, as are the optics. All beads of the objectives are intact. The case too, is flawless and is composed of black sharkskin with push button closure. It measures only 118 x 58 x 26 mm. (4 5/8 x 2 3/8 x 1" high) and every space is filled! An asset to any serious collection.

Heehee, tiny gentleman.  Misplaced modifier.  But still, TINY!  (Like Stephen's tiny sneeze!)  I also like the word "little."  And doesn't that description just sound so loving? 

And speaking of ebay scientific antique instruments, look at this, nautical people:
AN 18TH CENTURY KIT OF NAVIGATIONAL INSTRUMENTS TOOLS.

Pretty pretty.  And I love the porte-crayon and the ruling pen.  I wonder if the ruling pen fits into the porte-crayon?  It looks like it must, and that would be handy.

ETA:  And don't miss out on your chance to own:
19 antique human glass eyes!!!!!!!
They're beautiful.  And creepy, I have to admit.

Comments

[saibrrmen.livejournal.com]

In the middle of New York :D next to the wee finger lakey things. Which is handy. (SAILING CLASS) They used to be separate single-sex entities, but they're a zygote now. :D

Wow! That does sound spiffy. Did that ruin it for you, the marketing/obsessive people? I don't think I'd like BJDS as much if they were sucked into the trend market (not that they would be-- far too expensive) because what I like about them is their hand-made-ity.

o_o

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

New York! Far far from home. How did you pick it? So the sailing happens on the finger lakes? That sounds lovely. Will you like the cold winters? You can pretend you're on a polar expedition.

Well, the marketing/obsessive people didn't ruin it for me - I just got older. It really was made for 10-12 year olds. Though in high school I was still making her clothes. There's a doll in Les Miserables, and I made a dress for Samantha like the one described in the book. And did a painting of her as a scene from that book. But anyway, it did make me a little wistful and sad that the dolls got so popular. I kind of liked having them to myself, kind of like my own secret thing. But it didn't really matter much to me by then.

I have my Samantha here too, and her clothes, and the lovely antique doll bed and quilt that my mom got for me on ebay. She told me recently that on ebay the dolls from my generation are selling pretty high because they're much better quality than the ones they're making now, but I'm not interested in selling. I'm keeping my My Little Ponies, too. THEY'RE MY PRECIOUSES!

[saibrrmen.livejournal.com]

I found it out through the Googly. I wanted someplace on the east coast, near a body of water, strong in liberal arts, with a fencing and/or sailing class, spiffy architecture (cor, it's beautiful) and that was cold. It fit the bill. :D Are you kidding? I love the cold. It's fantastic :D lets me wear my Doctor Who scarf without looking too silly.

Ah. I was never into dolls, before-- always a book type person. So this is all very new to me XD

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

Does it ever snow at home? Can you believe that some of Shackleton's men had never seen snow before? Actually, in college I had some classmates who had never seen snow OR leaves changing color. Of course, they weren't signing up for an Antarctic expedition, but it's also much easier to travel these days, and it's strange they'd never been far enough to see those things.

Are you still wanting to do maritime archaeology? Did you see my Mary Rose pics? You should come down in the summers and work on the Queen Anne's Revenge.

I was never really into dolls either - only Samantha. And mostly because of all the amazing accessories. And also because she reminded me of the doll in "A Little Princess," my favorite children's book.

[saibrrmen.livejournal.com]

Nope! Hails occasionally. I have seen snow though :D in the mountains, and been skiing.

Heck yeah. I'm just doing history now under the general recommendation of me dad, since marine archaeology's a bit specific to start with. Ooh, that's a good idea, the Queen Anne's Revenge. (sounds like a DIsney ride.) I'd like that. I doubt they'd take me on though D:

Mmm, tiny accessories. A Little Princess? Is that like Le Petit Prince?

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

Well the QAR (Queen Anne's Revenge) people regularly take on students from East Carolina U. studying marine... stuff. They don't have a marine archeology degree there, but it's something marine.

Oh, A Little Princess is an absolutely wonderful tale by the same author who wrote The Secret Garden. It's about a young wealthy Victorian girl who has come back to England from India to go to boarding school and get a proper young lady's education, but she misses her father and India. And then suddenly she becomes an orphan and loses all her fabulous wealth and has to become a servant at the school. It's all just written so beautifully and magically.

[saibrrmen.livejournal.com]

Ooh Speaking of Queens I was just at me grandmum's and I saw in a National Geographic from 1980 pictures of Queen Mary's dollhouse! Have you seen that? It's so... so... mindblowing... ahhhh, the teeny books all have writing in them, and there's working taps with hot and cold water, and tiny cars with gas engines that work, and electricity, and a coal stove, and and a tiny tiny working kitchen scale, oh, oh, it is marvelous!

I'll google QAR. Do hope they have a place for me somewhere :D i'll swab the deckkkss D:

Aw, that story sounds lovely. And somehow familiar. Perhaps I've heard it on the Beeb.

[grace-poppy.livejournal.com]

I have seen that - both the dollhouse and the magazine! I have a copy of that issue. I have two copies of National Geographic - that one, and the one from July 1989 for the bicentennial of Bastille day, and the entire issue is about France. I read that thing from cover to cover when I was in high school, and it was very formative. It opened such a world! I love France passionately, and its history and culture.

Hmm, I doubt they'll have much in the way of deck for you to swab - though I'm sure they'll appreciate your skills with a cotton swab. Q-tip rolled in saliva, that's the ticket.

It's a pretty famous book, and has been made into movies and probably radio plays too.