Mounts by Suter (L) and martin Cole (R), retailed by Dollond: image of the Martin Cole mount courtesy of Brian Davidson Other Dollond labels in my collection bear “primary” different handwritings to those above, so Dollond, like Baker and others, evidently had several preparers under contract, including, at least for a time, Suter. Dollond labels themselves seldom turn up at auction, but a few Dollond/Suter mounts may linger in cabinets yet to reach salerooms. microscope Suter’s According to his 1900 catalogue, Suter was a sales agent for microscopes made by Watson, Swift, Ross, Reichert, Beck, Leitz, Zeiss and Lancaster (neither I nor others have seen Suter mounts with for instance – – Watson or Ross retail labels). A microscope is among the family heirlooms, presumably that preferred by Suter himself, possibly subsequently passing to William Peirce junior, the science teacher. It came, not from any of the above mentioned firms, but from S & B Solomons of Albermarle Street. The Solomons microscope, and some Suter slides which survived with it This raises the question, where, when and why Suter obtained a Solomons microscope? Benjamin Solomons was still listed at the 39 Albermarle St. Address in 1871, but must have ceased business (and died) not long thereafter. It was very much a family concern, with Benjamin, his wife Elizabeth, and a his “widow” – sister-in-law Sophia all listed as opticians at that – address. The three were all in remaining “opticians” their seventies by 1871, and do not appear in the 1881 census.
Mounts by Suter (L) and martin Cole (R), retailed by Dollond: image of the Martin Cole mount courtesy of Brian Davidson Other “primary” Dollond labels in my collection bear different handwritings to those above, so Dollond, like Baker and others, evidently had several preparers under contract, including, at least for a time, Suter. Dollond labels themselves seldom turn up at auction, but a few Dollond/Suter mounts may linger in cabinets yet to reach salerooms. Suter’s microscope According to his 1900 catalogue, Suter was a sales agent for microscopes made by Watson, Swift, Ross, Reichert, Beck, Leitz, Zeiss and Lancaster (neither I nor others have seen Suter mounts with – for instance – Watson or Ross retail labels). A microscope is among the family heirlooms, presumably that preferred by Suter himself, possibly subsequently passing to William Peirce junior, the science teacher. It came, not from any of the above mentioned firms, but from S & B Solomons of Albermarle Street. The Solomons microscope, and some Suter slides which survived with it This raises the question, where, when and why Suter obtained a Solomons microscope? Benjamin Solomons was still listed at the 39 Albermarle St. Address in 1871, but must have ceased business (and died) not long thereafter. It was very much a family concern, with Benjamin, his wife Elizabeth, and a “widow” – his sister-in-law Sophia – all listed as opticians at that address. The three remaining “opticians” were all in their seventies by 1871, and do not appear in the 1881 census.
pp-Suter-Miscellany.docx