An attractive‐mode atomic force microscope is described in which the cantilever is held orthogonally with respect to the sample. The technique utilizes a linear differential optical detection scheme for the cantilever vibrations. In this design, the cantilever end is not bent to form a tip. This geometry substantially reduces the possibility of spontaneous jump‐to‐contact of the tip onto the sample, allowing the tip/sample separation to be set essentially to any desired value. Relatively large‐ and small‐scale results are presented on imaging a smear of red blood cells, demonstrating the resolution and sensitivity.