Focal Microscope

Focal Microscope

Optical Instrument, Scientific Equipment, STEM Education

The Focal Microscope was a house branded product from Kmart which was a rebranded product originally manufactured in Japan. The Focal Microscope from Kmart was a mass-market educational microscope sold during the mid-to-late 20th century as part of Kmart’s affordable science kit line. Designed for beginners and young students, it typically offered magnification levels around 100×–300× and came with basic tools for viewing prepared slides. Although not a professional laboratory instrument, it introduced many users to hands-on scientific observation at a low cost. Today, it’s considered a nostalgic example of accessible consumer science equipment from big-box retail stores.

ID: A basic education microscope with a seafoam green colorway. The microscope was constructed with a metal base and upright arm. It has a black eyepiece tube at the top, a rotating silver nosepiece with two or three short objective lenses, and a flat black stage with metal slide clips. Below the stage is a small mirror used to reflect light upward. Also, the focusing knobs are positioned on the side of the microscope arm, roughly halfway between the eyepiece and the stage.

S.S. Kresge Company

From the Collection of Lydia E. Ferguson

Circa 1960s

Anh Nguyen

This material is subject to copyright law and is made available for private study, scholarship, and research purposes only

JPG

English

Physical Object