The historical development, design, operation, and applications of the scanning electron microscope and electron microprobe analyzer are described. Magnification as high as 200,000X and a resolution of less than 10mm are possible with a depth of field 3 orders of magnitude better than the optical microscope. An x-ray analyzer permits chemical analysis of the elements to which it is sensitive using the secondary fluorescent x-rays generated in a sample by an electron beam. Auxiliary equipment needed with this advanced technique, and some likely areas of study for the instrument in conservation and historical research are listed. Author's address: Queens University, Arts Department, Conservation Programme, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.