Figure 1. Title page of Bachmann’s “Unsere Modernen Mikroskope”.
Otto Bachmann
by Brian Stevenson
last updated July, 2019
Little is known about Bachmann’s life, but he is included in this series because of a valuable reference book on microscopy that he published in 1883, Unsere Modernen Mikroskope. Notably, Bachmann’s book included dozens of illustrations of commercially-available microscopes of that year. These were primarily of German make. Images extracted from this insightful collection are shown below.
Bachmannn worked as a science teacher in Landsberg am Lech, Bavaria. He was established there before 1875, and was still there in 1905. An image of a microscope slide with Bachman’s labels was illustated in Ziemann’s 1875 Leitfaden für die praktische Mikroskopische Untersuchung des Schweinfleisches auf Trichinen, with a statement of Bachmann having a “Mikroskopisches Laboratorium” (Figure 3). Bachmann was described in 1881 as a “tüchtige Microscopiker und Malacozoolog” (“a capable microscopist and malacozoologist” - malacozoology is the study of molluscs). Entries in The Naturalists’ Universal Directory indicate that he was also interested in lepidoptera and coleoptera. His 1883 entry reads, “Bachmann, Otto, Konigl. Reallehrer, Laboratorium für Mikroskopie, Landsberg am Lech (Bavaria). Con. C. Ex. Wishes to receive shells of any kind in ex. for any Microscopic preparations”.
Figure 1.
Title page of Bachmann’s “Unsere Modernen Mikroskope”.
Figure 2 (following).
Images of microscopes included in “Unsere Modernen Mikroskope”. The pictures are not to scale.
Figure 2 (above).
Images of microscopes included in “Unsere Modernen Mikroskope”. The pictures are not to scale.
Figure 3.
1875 illustration of a Bachmann microscope slide, from F. Ziemann’s “Leitfaden für die praktische Mikroskopische Untersuchung des Schweinfleisches auf Trichinen”.
Figure 4.
1876 advertisement from Otto Bachmann.
Resources
Augsburger Abendzeitung (1876) Advertisement from Otto Bachmann, Number 247, page 8
Bachmann, Otto (1883) Unsere Modernen Mikroskope, R. Oldenbourg, Munich
Jahrbücher der Deutsche Malakozoologische Gesellschaft (1881) Vol. 8, page 115
The Naturalist's Universal Directory (1894) page 88, S.E. Cassino, Boston
The Naturalist's Universal Directory (1904) page 84, S.E. Cassino, Boston
The Scientist's International Directory (1883) page 91, S.E. Cassino, Boston
The Scientist's International Directory (1896) page 49, S.E. Cassino, Boston
Ziemann, Fr. (1875) Leitfaden für die praktische Mikroskopische Untersuchung des Schweinfleisches auf Trichinen, Berlin, Verlag von W.G. Horn, page 176