MICROSCOPES IN THE SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY

Jean-Baptiste Chardin, Les Attributs des Sciences, Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris

Microscopes were one of the most important technical inventions of the 17th-century. Their history spans through the whole century, from the modest beginnings of Dutch glassmakers through the fascinated inventions of the British Royal Society to the extensive discoveries of the most famous microscopist of all times, Antonij van Leeuwenhoek.

This website provides information and technical details about 17^th-century microscopy. A timeline delineates the major events in microscopy. Detailed information is given about the major microscopists of the period. A bibliography will give guidance for further studies in this area.