To David Forbes [20 March 1868]1
4 Chester Place | N.W.
Friday
My dear Mr. Forbes
Before leaving you I forgot to remind you that any notes on the idea of human beauty by natives who have associated little with Europeans, would be very interesting to me.2 Also if by any strange chance you should have observed any facts leading you to believe that the women of savage tribes have some influence in determining which men shall steal them or buy them or run away with them, I should like much to hear such facts.
I have lately been sending the enclosed queries to all parts of the world and I send a copy to you, although I well know that it is a most improbable chance that you should have recorded in your note books any remarks on the subject.3
I enjoyed my conversation with you very much & was astonished at the number of points to which you have attended.
Believe me, yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.
Summary
Any notes on idea of human beauty by natives who have little association with Europeans would interest CD.
Also influence of females on males’ choice.
Sends copy of Queries about expression.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-6002
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- David Forbes
- Sent from
- London, Chester Place, 4
- Source of text
- Pushkin House, St Petersburg: Literary Museum of the Institute of Russian Literature (Constantin Romanov, collection of O. A. Novikov: ПД 1975 ф.137 оп 1, no. 35)
- Physical description
- LS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6002,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6002.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 16