skip to content

Darwin Correspondence Project

From Emma Darwin to ?   [October 1874 – April 1882]1

Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | Railway Station | Orpington. S. E. R.

Dear Sir

Mr Darwin begs me to say that he is sorry he cannot give you a sitting in London—

I send a photograph which we think an excellent likeness, of which my son would lend you the negative after he has had some more copies taken.2

Mr Darwin would be happy to give a sitting here if it was wished for.

I should be glad to have the photograph returned as we consider it the best likeness of Mr Darwin that we have—

Dear Sir | yours faithfully, | E. Darwin

Footnotes

The date is established by the headed notepaper, which is of a sort that CD used from November 1874, and Emma from October 1874.
Emma probably sent one of the photographs taken by Leonard Darwin in the 1870s (Browne 2009, p. 560).

Bibliography

Browne, Janet. 2009. Looking at Darwin: portraits and the making of an icon. Isis 100: 542–70.

Summary

CD cannot come to London to sit for photograph. Sends one taken by son [Leonard], which family considers the best likeness. CD would be glad to give a sitting at Down.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-13792
From
Emma Wedgwood/Emma Darwin
To
Unidentified
Sent from
Down
Source of text
Archives of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ernst Mayr Library, Harvard University (bMs 62.10.1)
Physical description
ALS 3pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 13792,” accessed on 18 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-13792.xml

letter