Figure 1. ca. 1920-60 microscope slides that were prepared by Herbert Potter.
Herbert Arthur Frank Potter, 1879-1960
by Brian Stevenson
last updated October, 2022
Although an amateur mounter, Herbert Potter is well known for his artistically arranged microscope slides of diatoms, butterfly scales, and other objects. He was a long-time Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society and member of the Birmingham (England) Natural History and Philosophical Society, and a member of the Quekett Microscopical Society during the mid-1920s. I have not discovered whether Potter sold any of his impressive arrangements, or if they were simply for his enjoyment and that of his colleagues.
Figure 1.
ca. 1920-60 microscope slides that were prepared by Herbert Potter.
Figure 2.
Arrangement of butterfly scales, prepared by Herbert Potter.
Figure 3.
Arranged diatoms, prepared by Herbert Potter.
Figure 4.
Arrangement of seeds of Monotropa hypopithys (yellow bird's-nest, or Dutchman's pipe), prepared by Herbert Potter.
Herbert Potter was born on April 8, 1879 in Glamorgan, Wales. He was the first child of George and Theresa Potter. The 1881 census described George’s occupation as “commercial clerk ship brokers office”, while the 1891 census listed him as a “teacher of shorthand”. Herbert’s marriage registration listed his father’s occupation as “accountant”. All of those professions used similar skills.
By the time of the 1901 census, Herbert had moved to Aston, Warwickshire. He boarded in a private home. His occupation was described as “dental mechanic, surg. inst.”.
On June 17, 1901, Herbert married Edith Gledhill at St. Paul’s Church, in Halifax, Yorkshire. Herbert was described as being a “dentist”. The pair had one child, a son named Lois Vern Potter, born on July 7, 1902. Herbert and Edith divorced during early 1911. Legal records described Herbert as a “maker of artificial teeth”. He was officially registered as a dentist on May 9, 1922.
The 1911 census records that Herbert then lived in Balsall Heath, Warwickshire. He was a “dental anaesthesiologist”, and an employer of workers. His son, mother, two sisters, and a brother lived with him.
Herbert Potter evidently began preparing microscope slides before 1923, and they may have included arranged diatoms and other objects. I suggest this because Potter was described as having been a friend of famed diatom mounter William A. Firth, who died in 1923. A letter from Firth to Potter was later quoted in The Microscope magazine.
Herbert joined the Quekett Microscopical Club on January 10, 1922. His membership lapsed after 1927.
He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society in 1923. He appears to have remained a Fellow through the end of his life.
He was also a member and occasional officer of the local Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society. In addition to exhibits to his club, Potter is known to have presented on local radio on topics such as "Another evening at the microscope” (1925). The 1950 list of members stated that Potter was interested in “diatoms, butterfly scales, seeds”.
Herbert Potter died in Birmingham on April 5, 1960.
Resources
Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society Annual Report (1924) “Nov. 21, Exotic butterflies and moths, Natural colour photographs by H. Potter, F.R.M.S.”, page 13
Birmingham Natural History and Philosophical Society Annual Report (1950) “Diatoms, Butterfly Scales, Seeds. Herbert Potter, F.R.M.S.”, page 16
The Dentists’ Register (1942) “Potter, Herbert Arthur Frank, 387 Moseley road, Birmingham, 12, 1922 May 9”
Divorce records of Herbert and Edith Potter (1911) accessed through ancestry.com
England census and other records, accessed through ancestry.com
Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Club (1922) Members, “Jan. 10, 1922, Potter, Herbert, 387, Moseley Road, Birmingham”
Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Club (1927) Members, “Jan. 10, 1922, Potter, Herbert, 387, Moseley Road, Birmingham”
Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society (1923) Fellows, “1923 Potter, Herbert. 387, Moseley-road, Birmingham, 12”
Marriage record of Herbert Potter and Edith Gledhill (1901) St. Paul’s Church, Halifax, Yorkshire, accessed through ancestry.com
The Microscope (1956) Letter, Vol. 10, page 108
Radio Times (1925) “Wireless Programme – Saturday (April 4th) … Birmingham … 6:25-6:40, Teens’ Corner: Mr. Herbert Potter, F.R.M.S. (Secretary of the Birmingham Field Naturalists’ Club), ‘Another evening at the microscope’”, March 27, page 20
Wales census records, accessed through ancestry.com