'The junkyard Chevalier and the 11 year old girl'¹
Simple and compound microscope by Charles Chevalier, 1832-1849

Description:

Charles Chevalier, Des Microscopes et de leur usage, 1839, plate 3.

Galerie de Valois, Palais Royal, Paris.

The signature on the tube reads: Charles Chevalier Ingénieur Opticien Breveté Palais Royal 163 à Paris. Charles Chevalier (1804-1859) began working with his father Vincent (1770-1841) after completing his apprenticeship (1819-1821) in the mechanical workshop of a certain Godelar.2 In 1832 the partnership bitterly broke down and Charles left his father to found his own firm at the Palais Royal, 163, Galerie de Valois.3 In 1847 Charles was still at the same address,4 but by 1849 the shop had moved from no. 163 to 158 in the same gallery.5

The present microscope was described in the 1842 catalogue as “[No.] 238. Vertical achromatic microscope, small model, simple and compound, with three achromatic lenses, two Huygens oculars, two doublets, accessories, mahogany case, from 180 to 250 [francs]”. Catalogue des instrumens construits par Charles Chevalier, 1842, p. 18 Charles Chevalier’s 1839 book ‘Des Microscopes et de leur usage’ has an illustration of the microscope. According to Chevalier this instrument “was not suited for all experiences, but can freely serve as simple microscope or as vertical compound [microscope], Mr. doctor [Alfred] Donné advises to use it for pathologic research of fluids, etc.”6 Microscopes by Chevalier were very popular, not only in France, but all over the world and are consequently fairly common in collections worldwide. They are nevertheless collectable as Chevalier greatly contributed to the success of the French/Continental optical industry.

Portrait of Charles Chevalier (1804-1859), engraved by E. Rosotte under direction of Frédéric Villot.7

In 1857 Charles’ health began to decay and he died in November 1859.8 His son Arthur (1830-1874) inherited a firm in difficulty.9 Despite the desperate efforts of Arthur, a man of poor health, the firm continued to lose its importance. Arthur Chevalier imitated the microscopes of Nachet.10 In 1870 Arthur obtained the title of doctor honoris causa from the German university of Rostock, only a few months after his close Belgian friend Henri van Heurck received the same title from the very same institution.11 Only four years later Arthur died. The ‘Maison Dr. Arthur Chevalier’ was left in the hands of his daughters – according to Jules Pelletan – two young and charming girls, almost children. By 1882, these two girls had died almost simultaneously. The Chevalier firm was sold to Mr. Avizard in June 1881 for 150000 francs. By 1891 Arthur’s wife had followed her two daughters and husband into the grave…12

Arthur Chevalier (1830-1874). Frontispiece of Arthur's L'Étudiant micrographe, 3rd edition, 1882, edited by the author... who had died 8 years earlier!

Camille Sébastien Nachet (1799-1881)

The true successor of Charles Chevalier was arguably, with respect to the manufacture of microscopes, Camille Nachet (1799-1881).13 After a military career, Camille Nachet started to work for Charles Chevalier in 1834. After six years, in 1840, Camille founded his own company,14 selling achromatic lenses for microscopes to different manufacturers both in France and abroad (Lerebours, Brunner, J.G.A. Chevallier, Abraham Abraham, …). By the late 1850’s 'Nachet et Fils' (i.e. Camille and his son Alfred) was one of the most prestigious microscope manufacturers in Europe, and the only serious threat to the supremacy of Georges Oberhaeuser on the Continent. Camille Nachet did not work for Charles Chevalier's father, Vincent, as most references claim. The source for this error is Albert Nachet (b. 1863), grandson of Camille. In 1929 Albert wrote a catalogue of the splendid collection of historical scientific instruments established by his father, Alfred (1831-1908). On pages 124-5 Albert reproduced a note concerning his grandfather Camille, written by his father Alfred. In his catalogue, Albert claims that Camille Nachet worked for Vincent Chevalier. However, I own this very note and it clearly states that Camille worked for “Ch. Chevalier”. The companies of Vincent and Charles Chevalier were independent entities at that time. Notes written by Alfred Nachet concerning his father Camille. The first line reads: “Mr. Nachet Père après avoir fabriqué pendant six ans les lentilles à microscopes pour Ch. Chevalier avec lequel il était lié d’amitié s’établit en 1840 …”. Ex archives Nachet, coll. J. Meeusen.

Jean Alfred Nachet (1831-1908)

There is a note pasted in the box reading: “This microscope comes from our predecessor, Mister Marcus Boelger-Hindermann (April 1817 – January 1893) and was purchased on his behalf by his friend the physician Dr. Miescher in Paris.         Charles Chevalier, Pal. Royal Note from 27 December 1923 G. Z-B.” Marcus/Markus Bölger-Hindermann (1817-1893) was apparently the owner of a spinning mill of cotton (Baumwollspinnerei) in Basel, Switzerland. His factory was taken over, renamed 'Florettspinnerei Ringwald AG' and active until 1956.15

An entry in the Basel Chronicle for the 25th of January 1893 reads: “After suffering for a long time the 75 year old manufacturer Markus Bölger-Hindermann died. He was, following politically and religiously the [political] left, vigorously and in a self-sacrificing way involved in public life and especially followed all efforts in the field of youth education with great attention.”16

Samantha, the proud 11-year old discoverer of the Chevalier microscope.

The story that comes with this microscope is highly remarkable. An 11-year old girl, Samantha, found it at a recycling site at her hometown, Rafz, Switzerland. Samantha noticed a ‘wooden box’ in the exchange corner and wanted to take it home. Her father initially refused as his daughter tends to collect and keep everything. Only after closer inspection the ‘wooden box’ was identified as an historical microscope and Samantha’s wish was fulfilled.17 Samantha’s father decided to write to Allan Wissner, asking him for more information about the microscope. Allan Wissner both dated and appraised the microscope. When Samantha’s father asked Wissner if he knew a collector who would be interested in acquiring the microscope, Wissner brought the Schweizer family in contact with me.

Acknowledgments:

I would like to thank the entire Schweizer family, and especially Samantha, for saving this very nice microscope from the junkyard and giving it a place in my collection. I am particularly grateful to Allan Wissner, not only for this nice addition to my collection, but also for the fruitful correspondence, as ever.

References:

[1]	The title was coined by Budd LaRue.
[2]	Chevalier, Arthur Étude sur la vie et les travaux scientifiques de Charles Chevalier ingénieur, opticien, Imprimerie Bonaventure et Ducessois, Paris, 1862, p. 7
[3]	Chevalier 1862 p. 28
[4]	Blanquart-Evrard, Louis Désiré Procédés employés pour obtenir les épreuves de photographie sur papier présentées à l’Académie des Sciences par M. Blanquart-Evrard, Charles Chevalier, Palais-Royal 163, Paris, 1847
[5]	Schrötter, A. Bericht an die kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften über eine mit deren Unterstützung nach England und Frankreich unternommene wissenschaftliche Reise, Im Auszuge vorgetragen in den Sitzungen der mathematisch-naturwissenschaftlichen Classe am 21. Februar, 7. und 14. März 1850, Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Classe, 1850, fünfter Band, Wien, Anhang, pp. 29, 37; Chevalier 1862 p. 28
[6]	Chevalier, Charles Des Microscopes et de leur usage, chez l’auteur, 1839, p. 100; Original text: “J'ai aussi construit l'appareil fig. 5 qui n'est pas propre à tous les genres d'expériences, mais peut à volonté servir de microscope simple ou composé vertical; M. le docteur Donné en conseille l'emploi pour l'examen pathologique des fluides, etc.”
[7]	Chevalier 1862 pp. 80-81. Frédéric Villot (1809-1875) was keeper of the paintings in the Louvre Museum and a keen microscopist. [Letters from Frédéric Villot to Henri van Heurck, 12/6/1865 and 27/6/1865]
[8]	Chevalier 1862 pp. 75, 79
[9]	Heurck, Henri van Le Microscope, sa construction, son maniement, la technique microscopique en général ; la photomicrographie ; le passé et l’avenir du microscope, 4ème édition, E. Ramlot, Bruxelles, 1891, p. 143; Strangely enough, Paolo Brenni states that Charles left a prosperous firm to his son. [Brenni, Paolo 19th Century French Scientific Instrument Makers, II: The Chevalier Dynasty, Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society, 1993, no. 39, p. 12]
[10]	Pelletan, Jules Revue, Journal de micrographie, 1882, t. 6, no 1, pp. 3-4
[11]	Arthur Chevalier obtained his title in 1870 [Bitard, Adolphe Dictionnaire général de biographie contemporaine française et étrangère, 1878, p. 266]. Henri van Heurck’s diploma dates from 4 November 1869 [Philippe van Heurck, pers. corr. 13/4/2007; Frison, Karel Edward Henri Ferdinand van Heurck, 1838-1909, sa vie, son oeuvre, Rijksmuseum voor de geschiedenis van de natuurwetenschappen, Leyde, 1959, p. 32]
[12]	Heurck pp. 143-144, Pelletan p. 4
[13]	Pelletan writes: “C. S. Nachet avait succédé, dans l’optique française, à Ch. Chevalier, son maître, … ” [Pelletan p. 3]. I share Pelletan's opinion.
[14]	Nachet, Albert Collection Nachet, réimpression 1976, Librairie Alain Brieux, Paris, 1929, pp. 124-5
[15]	http://www.bl.ch/3/blgeschichte/558schoental.html; http://www.augusta-raurica.ch/docs/gemeinden/fuellinsdorf/geschichte.htm
[16]	http://www.basler-stadtbuch.ch/stadtbuch/chronik/detail.cfm?Id=2153; Original text: “Nach langem Leiden stirbt 75jährig der Fabrikant Markus Bölger-Hindermann. Er hatte, politisch und religiös der Linken angehörig, sich lange Zeit in thatkräftiger und opferwilliger Weise am öffentlichen Leben beteiligt und namentlich alle Bestrebungen auf dem Gebiet der Jugendbildung mit Aufmerksamkeit verfolgt und begünstigt.”
[17]	Jürg Schweizer, pers. corr. 7/11/2007

Jeroen Meeusen, last update: 16/12/2007
View additional microscopes in my collection: http://english.meeusen.com/