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Small Worlds

31 October 2007 – 6 April 2008

Much of the Museum’s microscopical collection dates from Victorian times. Many of the specimens were collected and preserved by amateur scientists in their parlour laboratories, a source of delight, wonder, and after dinner entertainment. The vocabulary of microscopy often strangely resembles the language of the theatre, with specimens placed on a stage to be seen. Top of the bill here is The Great Pedanto, a music hall act played by The Carpenter’s Improved Opake and Transparent Microscope.

Small Worlds

‘Small Worlds: the art of the invisible’ is an exhibition of the miniature world of microscopic specimens, revealing the strange and wonderful contents of the Museum’s collection of some ten thousand slides.

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