R & J Beck

Richard Beck (1827-1866)^[1] and Joseph Beck (1828-1891)^[2] (nephews of J. J. Lister) formed the optical manufacturing firm of R and J Beck in 1843, based at 69 Mortimer Street, London,.^[3] James Smith worked with the company under the name of Smith and Beck, renamed Smith, Beck and Beck in 1854 but reverting to R and J Beck when Smith retired in 1865.^[4] Smith is credited with helping to raise the status of the use of microscopes within scientific research.

Exhibitions and trades shows

• 1851 Great Exhibition ^[5]

Notable equipment

Camera lenses of R and J Beck are known as Beck Ensign, and the Frena camera was developed in the 1890s, using celluloid films.^[6]

A catalogue of work by R & J Beck from 1900 has been digitised as part of the Internet Archive which features the terms of business and pricing from 1900, simplex microscopes, No. 10 London Microscope, No. 22 London Microscope, No. 29 London Microscope, Beck Pathological Microscope, No. 3201 Massive Microscope, Radial Research Microscope, Angular Model Microscope, Beck Combined Binocular and Monocular Microscope, Baby London Microscope, No.3755 Portable Microscope, Pathological Microscope, Binomax magnifier, Greenough Binocular Microscope, Crescent Dissecting Microscope, Cornex Dissecting Microscope, Beck Ultra Violet Microscope made for J. E. Barnard F.R.S., Beck Object Glasses, Eyepieces, Beck-Chapman Opaque Illuminator, Photomigraphic Cameras, Optical Benches, Microtomes, University Micro-projector and Folding Pocket Magnifiers.^[7]

Museums and Collections holding R and J Beck equipment

• Coats Observatory, Paisley, Scotland (contains a large collection of scientific and astronomical materials,^[8] including equipment by R and J Beck)
• National Museums of Scotland (microscopes by R and J Beck^[9])
• National Media Museum, Bradford, England (Beck field cameras ^[10])
• Science Museum , London (compound molecular microscope, acquired 2012,^[11] periscope for trench use^[12] )
• Museum of Technology, Lincolnshire (microscopes^[13])
• Museum of the History of Science, Oxford (microscopes^[14])
• Warren Anatomical Museum, Harvard (classroom demonstration microscopes^[15])
• Huntarian Museum, Glasgow, Scotland (microscopes^[16])
• Surgeons' Hall Museum, Edinburgh, Scotland (microscope^[17])
• Scientific Instrument Collection, Macleay Museum, Sydney University (vertical illuminator^[18])
• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Archives, London (crescent dissecting microscope, c.1900)

Slideshow: Images of R and J Beck equipment

From the Coats Observatory collection:

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References

1. "Richard Beck". www.gracesguide.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
2. "Joseph Beck". www.gracesguide.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
3. "R. and J. Beck". www.gracesguide.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
4. "R. and J. Beck". www.gracesguide.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
5. "1851 Great Exhibition: Official Catalogue: Class X.: James Smith and Richard Beck". www.gracesguide.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
6. White, Robert (2001-01-01). Discovering Old Cameras 1839-1939. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9780747802662.
7. "Beck microscopes". archive.org. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
8. "Coats Observatory". www.renfrewshireleisure.com. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
9. "National Museums of Scotland - Microscope, made by R. & J. Beck". nms.scran.ac.uk. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
10. "Beck Field camera - National Media Museum - Photographic Technology - National Photography Collection - Collections - National Media Museum". www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
11. Science Museum Group. "Science Museum Group Annual Report and Accounts 2012- 2013" (PDF). Retrieved 3 December 2015.
12. "Periscope for use in trenches by R. & J. Beck Ltd.". Science Museum. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
13. "The Museum of Technology, the Great War and WWII". www.museumoftechnology.org.uk. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
14. "Record Details - Museum of the History of Science". Museum of the History of Science. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
15. "R & J Beck classroom demonstration microscope · Center for the History of Medicine: OnView". collections.countway.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
16. "Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery Collections: GLAHM 113817". www.huntsearch.gla.ac.uk. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
17. "Key Object Page - Surgeons' Hall Museums, Edinburgh". museum.rcsed.ac.uk. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
18. Office, Publications. "Working Microscopes". sydney.edu.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.