This article examines test objects for microscopes: specific objects designated to test the quality and performance of these instruments.1 I trace the history of these objects to understand the development of microscopy as a research technique and the methodological concerns of its practitioners. Test objects can be historicized in two ways. First, test objects themselves have a history: they emerged in particular social and scientific contexts; the contexts of application multiplied; and the requirements for `good' test objects changed over time. Secondly, test objects are part of a longterm history of evaluation criteria for microscopes. Since the seventeenth century, practitioners have assessed the quality and performance of their instruments; but over the centuries the evaluation criteria and procedures have changed. In what follows, I consider both the short-term history of test objects and their role in the long-term development of microscopy as a research technique.
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