overall: 48 1/2 in x 8 1/2 in x 4 in; 123.19 cm x 21.59 cm x 10.16 cm
Object Name:
telescope, refracting
telescope
Place made:
United Kingdom: England, London
Date made:
ca 1840
Description:
Brass telescope with a pillar-and-tripod stand, an achromatic objective of 2⅞ inches aperture, an eyepiece, and holders for a telescoping brace (no longer extant). The tube is 45 inches long. The inscription on the faceplate at the eye end reads “TROUGHTON & SIMMS / LONDON.” The firm of Troughton & Simms began trading as such in 1824. It became Troughton & Simms, Ltd., in 1916, and Cooke, Troughton & Simms, Ltd., in 1922.
The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa built an astronomical observatory in 1843-1844 and probably acquired this telescope at that time. The school did not admit women until the 1890s.
Ref: Anita McConnell, <i>Instrument Makers to the World. A History of Cooke, Troughton & Simms</i> (York, 1992).
