Darwin Correspondence Project

In 1831, Darwin joined a voyage that he later referred to ‘as by far the most important event in my life’. To celebrate the 212th anniversary of Darwin's birth, dive in to our 3D model of the Beagle and find out more about life on board and the adventures that he had, and read Darwin's 1878 letters now released online for the first time. 

Darwin’s long marriage to Emma Wedgwood is well documented, but was there an earlier romance in his life? How was his departure on the Beagle entangled with his first love? The answers are revealed in a series of flirtatious letters that Darwin was supposed to destroy.

Ever wondered how Darwin worked? As part of our For the Curious series of simple interactives, ‘Darwin working from home’ lets you explore objects from Darwin’s study and garden at Down House to learn how he worked and what he had to say about it. And not all his work days were successful, here are some letters about Darwin's bad days. 

Investigating the movements and 'sleep' of plants, being entertained by the mental faculties of his young grandson Bernard, finally elected a corresponding member of the French Académie des sciences, trying to secure a government grant to support an Irish correspondent's attempts to breed a blight-resistant potato... and a complete stranger proposed to leave him a large bequest in recognition of his work in science. The transcripts and footnotes of over 550 letters written to and from Darwin in 1878 are now online. Read more about Darwin's life in 1878 and see a full list of the letters.

Flowers, bloom, a son married . . . and a suspended monkey in Cambridge at Darwin's honorary LLD ceremony. The transcripts and footnotes of over 600 letters written to and from Darwin in 1877 are now online. Read more about Darwin's life in 1877 and see a full list of the letters.