Alfred Swaine Taylor's microscope

Compound monocular achromatic microscope with original mahogany case and accessories, Smith & Beck, 6 Colman Street, London, 1850. Previously owned by Alfred Swaine Taylor.

Alfred Swaine Taylor (1806-1880) was an eminent British forensic medicine expert, toxicologist and early photographic pioneer. He made his name being an expert witness in some of the most famous and notorious criminal cases of the Victorian era. At the time, poison was easily available, and poisoning was one of the most common crimes. Taylor was a particular expert on poisons and in 1848 he wrote a ground-breaking book on identifying and detecting them.