Abstract: The invention contemplates a method of microscopic analysis of biological, metallurgical or other specimens, wherein an image copy of a comparison or reference object is used to produce a comparison image in the image plane of the microscope eyepiece. A direct side-by-side comparison can then be made for the unknown or unclassified specimen, against the image copy, which may be two adjacent image copies, displayed alongside the unknown, to enable a judgment as to the resemblance between the unknown and one or the other of the two image copies.