SMITH

James Smith (1800-1873), Richard Beck (1827-1866)

Unfortunately, there were several opticians called “James Smith” in London at the relevant time and it is not clear which of them was to become one of the most highly regarded microscope makers of his time.

He started by introducing microscope bodies for others until, in 1826, he was asked by Charles Tulley, another London optician, to develop a frame for an achromatic microscope for Joseph Jackson Lister (an influential microscopist who made major contributions to the development of objective lenses). Lister taught Smith how to grind lenses. In 1839, James Smith started his own microscope-making company.

The son of Lister’s business partner, Richard Beck, became his apprentice and 1847 Smith and Beck became partners. The name of the company became Smith & Beck. In 1851, Richard’s brother Joseph Beck also joined the company and in 1857, the company’s name was changed to Smith, Beck & Beck.

Thanks to Lister, many of their clients were prominent scientists. It was James Smith who delivered the first  microscope to the “Microscopical Society of London” (formerly the “Royal Microscopical Society”). James Smith retired from the company in 1866, but appears to have continued making microscopes and lenses in partnership with his son, James John Smith.