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Darwin in letters,1870: Human evolution

Summary

The year 1870 is aptly summarised by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The whole of the year at work on the Descent of Man & Selection in relation to Sex’. Descent was the culmination of over three decades of observations and reflections on…

Matches: 19 hits

… The year 1870 is aptly summarised by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The …
… in relation to Sex’. Always precise in his accounting, Darwin reckoned that he had started writing …
… gathered on each of these topics was far more extensive than Darwin had anticipated. As a result, …
… and St George Jackson Mivart, and heated debates sparked by Darwin’s proposed election to the French …
… machine’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 25 December [1870 ] ). Finishing Descent; …
… some weeks’ ( letter to Albert Günther, 13 January [1870 ] ). Darwin was still working hard on …
… of style, the more grateful I shall be’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870 ] ). She had …
… , the latter when she was just eighteen years of age. Darwin clearly expected her to make a …
… ever have thought that I shd. turn parson?’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870 ] ). …
… thing so unimportant as the mind of man!’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [after 8 February 1870 ] ). …
… sense of mankind’ ( letter to F. P. Cobbe, 23 March [1870 ?] ). Cobbe accused Darwin of smiling in …
… great philosophy?’ ( letter from F. P. Cobbe, 28 March [1870 ?] ). Humans as animals: ears …
… is to criticise them? No one but yourself’ ( letter from H. W. Bates, 20 May 1870 ). Darwin very …
… able to say that I never write reviews’ ( letter to H. W. Bates, [22 May 1870 ] ). St …
… if I once began to answer objectors’ ( letter to W. H. Flower, 25 March [1870 ] ). In his letters …
… out seven devils worse than that first!’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 22 June 1870 ). In the …
… highly important for the welfare of mankind’ ( letter to [H. H. Vivian?], [April or May 1870 ?] ). …
… dark to me and to every one else I suspect’ ( letter from H. B. Jones, 2 August 1870 ). …
… attending college lectures for the time being ( letter to [E.W. Blore], [October 1870 or later] ). …

Darwin’s queries on expression

Summary

When Darwin resumed systematic research on emotions around 1866, he began to collect observations more widely and composed a list of queries on human expression. A number of handwritten copies were sent out in 1867 (see, for example, letter to Fritz Muller…

Matches: 28 hits

… When Darwin resumed systematic research on emotions around 1866, he began to collect …
… ease of distribution sometime in late 1867 or early 1868. Darwin went over his questions, refining …
… was the collection of observations on a global scale. Darwin was especially interested in peoples …
… cultural and conventional, or instinctive and universal. Darwin used his existing correspondence …
… and with the mouth a little drawn back at the corners?” Darwin’s questionnaire was an extension of …
… was also carefully devised so as to prevent the feelings of Darwin’s remote observers from colouring …
… and not the susceptibilities of a moral nature.” Darwin did not typically countenance such …
… the collection of information to its display in print. After Darwin received all of the replies to …
… except “yes” or “no.” “The same state of mind” Darwin would later assert in Expression of the …
… uniformity.” Table of Correspondence about Darwin’s Questionnaire (click on the letter …
… Brooke, C.A.J. 30 Nov 1870 Sarawak, Borneo …
… Crichton-Browne, James 15 March 1870 West Riding …
… Crichton-Browne, James 18 March 1870 Down, Kent, …
… Donders, F.C. 27 May 1870 Utrecht, Netherlands …
… Forbes, David 13 June 1870 Portman Square, London W. …
… Ceylon enclosed in letter from G.H.K. Thwaites …
… will forward query Huxley, H.A. 22 Mar …
… Aborigines Lane, H.B. 13 Aug 1868 …
… aborigines Lubbock, E.F. [1867-8?] …
… Nicol, Patrick 13 May 1870 Sussex Lunatic Asylum, …
… Reade, Winwood W. [c.8 or 9 Apr 1870 ] Accra, West …
… Reade, Winwood W. 4 June 1870 Lagos, Africa …
… Reade, Winwood W. 3 Sept 1870 Conservative Club, St …
… Reade, Winwood W. 9 Nov 1870 11 St Mary Abbot's …
… aborigines Thwaites, G.H.K. 1 Apr 1868 …
… Weale, J.P.M. [25 May 1870 ] Bedford, Cape of Good …
… Weir, J.J. 27 June 1870 Blackheath, London, England …
… Kanara), Bombay, India forwarded by H.N.B. Erskine …

Women as a scientific audience

Summary

Target audience? | Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's letters, in particular those exchanged with his editors and publisher, reveal a lot about his intended audience. Regardless of whether or not women were deliberately targeted as a…

Matches: 9 hits

… Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's letters, in particular those …
… a broad variety of women had access to, and engaged with, Darwin's published works. A set of …
… women a target audience? Letter 2447 - Darwin to Murray, J., [5 April 1859] …
… that his views are original and will appeal to the public. Darwin asks Murray to forward the …
… and criticisms of style. Letter 2461 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [11 May 1859] …
… readers. Letter 7124 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E., [8 February 1870] Darwin …
… Letter 7329 - Murray , J. to Darwin, [28 September 1870] Written shortly before …
… Letter 7331 - Darwin to Murray, J., [29 September 1870] Darwin asks Murray to …
… Letter 7177 - Cupples, G. to Darwin, [29 April 1870] George Cupples tells Darwin about a …

Women’s scientific participation

Summary

Observers | Fieldwork | Experimentation | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a community of women who participated, often actively and routinely, in the nineteenth-century scientific community. Here is a…

Matches: 21 hits

… | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a …
… community. Here is a selection of letters exchanged between Darwin and his workforce of women …
… Women: Letter 1194 - Darwin to Whitby, M. A. T., [12 August 1849] Darwin …
… peculiarities in inheritance. Letter 3787 - Darwin, H. E. to Darwin, [29 October …
… garden. Letter 4523 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [6 June 1864] Darwin’s …
… officinalis . Letter 5745 - Barber, M. E. to Darwin, [after February 1867] …
… birds. Letter 5817 - Darwin to Huxley, T. H., [30 January 1868] Darwin …
… Letter 6535 - Vaughan Williams , M. S. to Darwin, H. E., [after 14 October 1869] …
… Letter 7179 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [5 May 1870 ] Darwin’s niece, Lucy, …
… Letter 8611 - Cupples, A. J. to Darwin, E., [8 November1872] Anne Jane Cupples, …
… her niece’s ears. Letter 8701 - Lubbock, E. F . to Darwin, [1873] Ellen …
… insects. Men: Letter 2221 - Blyth, E. to Darwin, [22 February 1858] …
… patience”. Letter 4242 - Hildebrand, F. H. G. to Darwin, [16 July 1863] …
… New Zealand. Letter 6453 - Langton, E. to Wedgwood, S. E., [9 November 1868] …
… Women: Letter 1701 - Morris, M. H. to Prior, R. C. A., [17 June 1855] …
… Letter 4823 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, H. E., [May 1865] Darwin’s niece, Lucy, …
… Leith Hill Place. Letter 6139 - Doubleday, H. to Darwin, [22 April 1868] …
… Letter 8168 - Ruck, A. R . to Darwin, H., [20 January 1872] Amy Ruck reports the …
… “eyebrows”. Letter 1701 - Morris, M. H. to Prior, R. C. A., [17 June 1855] …
… Letter 7124 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E., [8 February 1870 ] Darwin seeks Henrietta’s …
… Letter 7123 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E., [March 1870 ] Darwin thanks his daughter, …

Darwin and Gender Projects by Harvard Students

Summary

Working in collaboration with Professor Sarah Richardson and Dr Myrna Perez, Darwin Correspondence Project staff developed a customised set of 'Darwin and Gender' themed resources for a course on Gender, Sex and Evolution first taught at Harvard…

Matches: 14 hits

… with Professor Sarah Richardson and Dr Myrna Perez, Darwin Correspondence Project staff …
… can be found to the right. Containing extracts from Darwin's published works as well as …
… to encourage students to explore disparities between Darwin's public ideas and those he …
… by the resources include: To what extent were Darwin's ideas about the sexes …
… one of the key insights of the DCP’s research into Darwin’s understandings of sex and gender. In his …
… between the child and the man” ( Descent 2: 317). Darwin believed, however, that although women …
… superior to men. Sarah argues that understanding Darwin’s belief in the higher morality of …
… her house. Miranda focuses on the role that Darwin’s domestic life played in his …
… rendition of Miranda’s project, you can learn more about Darwin’s reliance and trust in Henrietta’s …
… of style, the more grateful I shall be.”(Letter to Darwin, H. E., [8 Feb 1870 ] ) Although Miranda …
… Amalia also believes that there is room to complicate Darwin’s published views on sex and gender by …
… inferiority as immutable.” Amalia delves into Darwin’s exchanges with Kennard; exchanges …
… 1882 ) In this personal exchange, she finds evidence that Darwin believed women could improve their …
… Vanessa takes a creative approach to the tension between Darwin’s published views and his private …

Capturing Darwin’s voice: audio of selected letters

Summary

On a sunny Wednesday in June 2011 in a makeshift recording studio somewhere in Cambridge, we were very pleased to welcome Terry Molloy back to the Darwin Correspondence Project for a special recording session. Terry, known for his portrayal of Davros in Dr…

Matches: 9 hits

… we were very pleased to welcome Terry Molloy back to the Darwin Correspondence Project for a …
… The Archers , previously worked with us playing Charles Darwin in a dramatisation of the …
… to life with his masterful characterisation of Charles Darwin. It was a long and full day at the …
… A significant proportion of the selection comprised Darwin’s letters to women correspondents, who …
… Other female correspondents asked Darwin questions about the spiritual implications of his theories …
… Kennard written on 9 January 1882 , only shortly before Darwin’s death, about the equality of …
… from the youthful exuberance of the Beagle letters (e.g. letter to Caroline Darwin, 29 April …
… in interpreting particular letters. How should one read Darwin’s politely worded rebuke to St G. J. …
… was proofreading a draft chapter of Descent (letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870 ] ). …

Cross and self fertilisation

Summary

The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom, published on 10 November 1876, was the result of a decade-long project to provide evidence for Darwin’s belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells us, in the most emphatic manner, that she abhors…

Matches: 28 hits

… the result of a decade-long project to provide evidence for Darwin’s belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells …
… on plants with two or three different forms of flowers, Darwin had focused on the anatomical and …
… of different forms of pollen. Although many plants that Darwin observed had flowers with adaptations …
… rates, growth, and constitutional vigour. Although Darwin was no stranger to long months and years …
… … is highly remarkable’ In September 1866, Darwin announced to the American botanist …
… several years ( To Édouard Bornet, 1 December 1866 ). Darwin began a series of experiments, …
… ). It was only after a new season of experiments that Darwin would confirm that this poppy shed its …
… access to flowers was only the tip of the iceberg. Darwin next focused on the California …
… conditions’ ( From Fritz Müller, 1 December 1866 ). Darwin’s interest was piqued and he described …
… when self-fertilised, although fewer than crossed plants. Darwin sent some of these seeds to Müller, …
… [1868] ). Müller, in turn, sent seeds from his plants to Darwin and both men continued to …
… Müller remarked, on receiving a new batch of seeds from Darwin, ‘that it was ‘curious to see, on …
… depends’ ( From Fritz Müller, 15 June 1869 ). By May 1870 , Darwin reported that he was ‘rearing …
… of English fertile plants’ ( To Fritz Müller, 12 May 1870 ). From a fairly early stage in …
… the sweet pea ( Lathyrus odoratus ), and in October 1867, Darwin wrote to James Moggridge to ask …
… of the year ( To J. T. Moggridge, 1 October [1867] ). Darwin was beginning to suspect that the …
… simply did not exist in Britain. During a visit to Darwin in May 1866, Robert Caspary, a …
… by the former ( From Robert Caspary, 18 February 1868 ). Darwin eagerly requested seed from both …
… was published on 30 January 1868. In April 1868, Darwin informed George Bentham, ‘I am …
… to elongate when the pollen touches the stigmatic surface. Darwin was able to discern that …
… plant sexual relations, Müller, who sent the publication to Darwin, reported that he was surprised …
… the fertility of the offspring (F. Müller 1868b, p. 629). Darwin urged further experimentation. ‘I …
… the Abutilon sterile with some individuals is remarkable’, Darwin replied, adding that he had sown …
… Abutilon is a new species, & I am honoured by its name’, Darwin told Hooker, ‘It offers an …
… ( To J. D. Hooker, 23 July [1871] ). Darwin also informed Müller of this fact. It had taken only …
… To Fritz Müller, 2 August [1871] ). By late 1871, Darwin was already planning to publish …
… excess of the crossed over the self-fertilised’ ( To G. H. Darwin, 8 January [1876] ). George …
… for the moment that all of equal value.’ ( From G. H. Darwin, [after 8 January 1876] ). It was his …

Darwin in public and private

Summary

Extracts from Darwin's published works, in particular Descent of man, and selected letters, explore Darwin's views on the operation of sexual selection in humans, and both his publicly and privately expressed views on its practical implications…

Matches: 8 hits

… The following extracts and selected letters explore Darwin's views on the operation of sexual …
… Selected letters Letter 1113 - Darwin to Whitby, M. A. T., [2 September 1847] …
… of dark eyebrows. Letter 489 – Darwin to Wedgwood, E., [20 January 1859] …
… progenitor. Letter 7123 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E., [March 1870] Darwin …
… lower animals. Letter 7329 – Murray, J. to Darwin, [28 September 1870] Written …
… impeding general perusal. Letter 8146 – Darwin to Treat, M., [5 January 1872] …
… of her work on Drosera. Letter 10546 – Darwin to Editor of The Times , [23 June …
… progress of physiology. Letter 10746 – Darwin to Dicey, E. M., [1877] …

Darwin on race and gender

Summary

Darwin’s views on race and gender are intertwined, and mingled also with those of class. In Descent of man, he tried to explain the origin of human races, and many of the differences between the sexes, with a single theory: sexual selection. Sexual…

Matches: 17 hits

… Darwin’s views on race and gender are intertwined, and mingled also with …
… in beetles. The unity of human species Darwin believed that the same process of sexual …
… gradually increase those features over long periods of time. Darwin’s theory was based partly on the …
… seemed to prevail across the globe. In Descent , Darwin also addressed widely held beliefs …
… of ‘species’, ‘varieties’, and ‘races’. Darwin argued forcefully for the unity of the human species, …
… Gender and civilisation In his early notebooks, Darwin remarked that survival value or …
… , B74). In his later writings on plants and animals, Darwin remained consistent on this point, and …
… improvement, or design. However, when it came to humans, Darwin reintroduced the structure of …
… and present, on the basis of their ‘civilization’. Here Darwin drew on contemporary anthropology, …
… colonial conquests and expansion abroad. Thus, while Darwin’s views on race differed widely …
… in the success of nations’ ( Descent 1: 239). For Darwin, the civilising process was essentially …
… men, and of non-European peoples becoming ‘civilized’ (i.e. European). Of the three Yahgans who had …
… Press. Desmond, Adrian and James Moore. 2009. Darwin's sacred cause . London: Allen …
… of Science 6: 9–23 [in a special issue on ‘Descent of Darwin: race, sex, and human nature’]. …
… . New York: The Free Press. Voss, Julia. 2007, Darwin’s pictures: views of evolutionary …
… with women Key letters : Letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870 ] …
… 28 January 1882 Further Reading: Darwin, Descent of man (1871), 2: 326–9. …

Moral Nature

Summary

In Descent of Man, Darwin argued that human morality had evolved from the social instincts of animals, especially the bonds of sympathy and love. Darwin gathered observations over many decades on animal behavior: the heroic sacrifices of social insects,…

Matches: 13 hits

… | Selected Readings In Descent of Man , Darwin argued that human morality had …
… (Barrett et al. eds. 1987, p. 619) Darwin gathered observations over many decades on …
… Though rooted in instinctive sympathy, moral behavior for Darwin was not purely automatic or …
… the social instincts that humans shared with animals. Darwin's moral theory was the most …
… obligation, compassion, guilt, and the pangs of conscience. Darwin's theory was condemned by …
… female members of their hive in order to protect the queen. Darwin engaged with his critics in …
… of ideas, rather than as evolving from animal instinct. Darwin got clarification on this point from …
… Descent of Man in the Pall Mall Gazette (Morley 1871). Darwin admired the review, and …
… from generation to generation." Letter 7685 : Darwin to Morley, John, 14 April …
… at a time when Paris is aflame". Letter 7145 : Darwin to Cobbe, F. P. 23 March …
… that he read Immanuel Kant's Metaphysics of ethics . Darwin thanked her for the book, which …
… sense of mankind." Letter 7149 : Cobbe, F. P. to Darwin, 28 March [1870?] …
… Letter 7470 : Wedgwood, Hensleigh to Darwin, [before 3 March 1871] Darwin exchanged long …

Darwin in letters, 1882: Nothing too great or too small

Summary

In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous October, and for the first time in decades he was not working on another book. He remained active in botanical research, however. Building on his recent studies in plant…

Matches: 25 hits

… In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous …
… for scientific colleagues or their widows facing hardship. Darwin had suffered from poor health …
… of his scientific friends quickly organised a campaign for Darwin to have greater public recognition …
… Botanical observation and experiment had long been Darwin’s greatest scientific pleasure. The year …
… to Fritz Müller, 4 January 1882 ). These were topics that Darwin had been investigating for years, …
… working at the effects of Carbonate of Ammonia on roots,’ Darwin wrote, ‘the chief result being that …
… for some hours in a weak solution of C. of Ammonia’. Darwin’s interest in root response and the …
… London on 6 and 16 March, respectively. In January, Darwin corresponded with George John …
… letter from Arthur de Souza Corrêa, 28 December 1881 ). Darwin had a long-running interest in such …
… experiments had been conducted to lend support to Darwin’s theory of pangenesis (see …
… He was eager to write up the results on Brazilian cane, with Darwin providing a detailed outline: ‘I …
… at the Linnean Society on 4 May, but not published. Darwin carried on with botanical work in …
… which are asymmetric, thus facilitating cross-fertilisation. Darwin’s aim, he said, was just to …
… 3 April 1882 ). Earthworms and evolution Darwin’s last book, Earthworms , had been …
… he is a good deal depressed about himself’ (letter from H. E. Litchfield to G. H. Darwin, 17 March …
… is very calm but she has cried a little’ (letter from H. E. Litchfield to G. H. Darwin, [19 April …
… overflowing in tenderness’ (letter from Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, 10 May 1882 (DAR 219.1: 150)). …
… he had witnessed an earthquake in 1835 ( letter from R. E. Alison, [March–July 1835 ]). …
… without any mercy’ ( letter from Emma Wedgwood to F. E. E. Wedgwood, [28 October 1836] , letter …
… Natural History, that I went as Naturalist on the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle round the World & …
… I cannot tell how or where to begin’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 21 [January 1860] ). Darwin’s …
… of Darwinian theory to flowers and flower-visiting insects; H. Müller 1869)). Darwin was full of …
… contents of bats?’ ( letter to Hermann Müller, 14 March 1870 ). One of Darwin’s other great …
… much of him’ ( letter to George Cupples, 20 September [1870 ] ). Despite Darwin’s insistence …
… at least be a valid ground for divorce’ ( letter to H. K. Rusden, [before 27 March 1875] ). In …

Darwin in letters, 1869: Forward on all fronts

Summary

At the start of 1869, Darwin was hard at work making changes and additions for a fifth edition of Origin. He may have resented the interruption to his work on sexual selection and human evolution, but he spent forty-six days on the task. Much of the…

Matches: 28 hits

… At the start of 1869, Darwin was hard at work making changes and additions for a fifth edition of …
… appeared at the end of 1866 and had told his cousin William Darwin Fox, ‘My work will have to stop a …
… material on emotional expression. Yet the scope of Darwin’s interests remained extremely broad, and …
… plants, and earthworms, subjects that had exercised Darwin for decades, and that would continue to …
… Carl von Nägeli and perfectibility Darwin’s most substantial addition to Origin was a …
… a Swiss botanist and professor at Munich (Nägeli 1865). Darwin had considered Nägeli’s paper …
… principal engine of change in the development of species. Darwin correctly assessed Nägeli’s theory …
… in most morphological features (Nägeli 1865, p. 29). Darwin sent a manuscript of his response (now …
… are & must be morphological’. The comment highlights Darwin’s apparent confusion about Nägeli’s …
… ‘purely morphological’. The modern reader may well share Darwin’s uncertainty, but Nägeli evidently …
… pp. 28–9). In further letters, Hooker tried to provide Darwin with botanical examples he could use …
… problems of heredity Another important criticism that Darwin sought to address in the fifth …
… prevailing theory of blending inheritance that Jenkin and Darwin both shared, would tend to be lost …
… ( Origin 5th ed., pp. 103–4). The terminology that Darwin and others employed in these matters ( …
… ‘I must have expressed myself atrociously’, Darwin wrote to Alfred Russel Wallace on 2 February , …
… of Origin was the result of correspondence between Darwin and the geologist James Croll. In the …
… but it was his theory of alternate ice ages that piqued Darwin’s interest the most. He wrote, ‘this …
… ( letter to James Croll, 31 January [1869] ). Darwin had argued ( Origin , pp. 377–8) that plant …
… would always exist. In Origin 5th ed., pp. 450–61, Darwin accounted for the survival of tropical …
… been less deferential towards [Thomson]’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 19 March [1869] ). …
… fossil discoveries in Patagonia and Wales ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 7 May 1869 , letter from W …
… the basis for a new German edition (Bronn and Carus trans. 1870 ), prepared by Julius Victor Carus, …
… own evolutionary views and critical commentary (Royer trans. 1870 ). Darwin complained to Hooker, …
… fools of themselves than they did’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 28 September 1869 ). …
… which … I do not care to follow him’ ( letter from T. H. Farrer, 9 October 1869 ). Farrer ventured …
… and Will and High Design—’ (letter from T. H. Farrer, 13 October 1869). Darwin was …
… work some hours daily’ ( letter to Anton Dohrn, 4 January 1870 ). Darwin’s health was generally …
… to set foot on summit of a mountain.—’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 9 July [1869] ). Earlier …

Scientific Networks

Summary

Friendship|Mentors|Class|Gender In its broadest sense, a scientific network is a set of connections between people, places, and things that channel the communication of knowledge, and that substantially determine both its intellectual form and content,…

Matches: 14 hits

… activities for building and maintaining such connections. Darwin's networks extended from his …
… when strong institutional structures were largely absent. Darwin had a small circle of scientific …
… section contains two sets of letters. The first is between Darwin and his friend Kew botanist J. D. …
… about Hooker’s thoughts. Letter 729 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., [11 Jan 1844] …
… is like confessing a murder”. Letter 736 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., 23 Feb [1844 …
… of wide-ranging species to wide-ranging genera. Darwin and Gray Letter 1674 …
… of the species. Letter 1685 — Gray, Asa to Darwin, C. R., 22 May 1855 Gray …
… Darwin and Müller Letter 5457 — Müller, H. L. H. to Darwin, C. R., 23 Mar 1867 …
… . Letter 5471 — Darwin, C. R. to Müller, H. L. H., 29 Mar [1867] Darwin learns …
… Müller’s brother. Letter 5481 — Müller, H. L. H. to Darwin, C. R., 1 Apr [1867] …
… grow in Westphalia. Letter 5657 — Müller, H. L. H. to Darwin, C. R., 23 Oct 1867 …
… two dipteran species. Letter 5770 — Müller, H. L. H. to Darwin, C. R., Jan [1868] …
… . Letter 4260a — Darwin, C. R. to Becker, L. E., 2 Aug [1863] Darwin thanks Lydia …
… care. Letter 7124 — Darwin, C. R. to Darwin, H. E., [8 February 1870 ] Darwin …

Darwin in letters,1866: Survival of the fittest

Summary

The year 1866 began well for Charles Darwin, as his health, after several years of illness, was now considerably improved. In February, Darwin received a request from his publisher, John Murray, for a new edition of Origin. Darwin got the fourth…

Matches: 21 hits

… The year 1866 began well for Charles Darwin, as his health, after several years of illness, was now …
… and also a meeting with Herbert Spencer, who was visiting Darwin’s neighbour, Sir John Lubbock. In …
… all but the concluding chapter of the work was submitted by Darwin to his publisher in December. …
… hypothesis of hereditary transmission. Debate about Darwin’s theory of transmutation …
… alleged evidence of a global ice age, while Asa Gray pressed Darwin’s American publisher for a …
… for the Advancement of Science. Fuller consideration of Darwin’s work was given by Hooker in an …
… frustrations were punctuated by family bereavement. Two of Darwin’s sisters died, Emily Catherine …
… from painful illness. Diet and exercise Among Darwin’s first letters in the new year …
… easy work for about 1½ hours every day’ ( letter to H. B. Jones, 3 January [1866] ). Darwin had …
… daily to make the chemistry go on better’ ( letter from H. B. Jones, 10 February [1866] ). …
… think, & have come to more definite views’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 December [1866] ). …
… after the startling apparition of your face at R.S. Soirèe—which I dreamed of 2 nights running. …
… come on those terms so you are in for it’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [ c . 10 May 1866] ). …
… weak in his Greek, is something dreadful’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 December [1866] ). …
… Georg Bronn, had been published in 1860 and 1863 by the firm E. Schweizerbart’sche …
… and a revised American edition was not published until 1870 . Further botanical research: …
… was ‘merely ordinaryly diœcious’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin, [7 May – 11 June 1866] ). On …
… a case of dimorphic becoming diœcious’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin, 20 June [1866] ). Darwin …
… I am well accustomed to such explosions’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 22 June [1866] ). He urged …
… as a ‘thinking pump’: ‘I read aloud your simile of H. Spencer to a thinking pump, & it was …
… indeed at poor Susan’s loneliness’ ( letter from E. C. Langton to Emma and Charles Darwin, [6 and 7 …

3.18 Elliott and Fry photos, c.1869-1871

Summary

< Back to Introduction The leading photographic firm of Elliott and Fry seems to have portrayed Darwin at Down House on several occasions. In November 1869 Darwin told A. B. Meyer, who wanted photographs of both him and Wallace for a German…

Matches: 23 hits

… photographic firm of Elliott and Fry seems to have portrayed Darwin at Down House on several …
… purpose’. Payments to the firm on 25 July 1869 and 5 April 1870 in Darwin’s banking account must …
… to Wallace. Elliott and Fry evidently approached Darwin again in the spring of 1871, with a …
… to Down again for a simpler portrayal. On 2 August 1871, Darwin wrote, ‘Many thanks for the …
… which of Elliott and Fry’s widely disseminated images of Darwin were taken in summer 1869, and which …
… view, is not much help. However, two of the group now in the Darwin archive were dated by Darwin’s …
… the later 1870s are clearly wide of the mark. As regards Darwin’s appearance, he does not look older …
… this group of photographs, of which there is a print in the Darwin archive (DAR 225.117), shows a …
… and must therefore have been reissued commemoratively. Darwin’s daughter Henrietta owned this, and …
… to it. In another of Elliott and Fry’s photographs, Darwin sits sternly erect; in yet another he …
… to a profile or nearer to a frontal view. In all of them Darwin is wearing a distinctive waistcoat, …
… the complexities, John van Wyhe, in his ‘Iconography’ of Darwin portraits, identifies some of the …
… the day, which were widely marketed. Thus the photographs of Darwin were frequently reissued in …
… in the National Portrait Gallery. An idealised version of Darwin’s head from one of the Elliott and …
… to the June 1882 issue, which had two obituary articles on Darwin. It had also appeared in another …
… engraving which seems almost to exaggerate the shagginess of Darwin’s hair, eyebrows and beard, …
… lurid Illustrated Police News, accompanying a notice of Darwin’s death in 1882. A vignette …
… many more such usages of the Elliott and Fry images of Darwin, often at third hand or in reworked …
… Elliott and Fry’s rather unflattering portrayal of Darwin, especially of his blunt nose and untidy …
… Elliott and Fry photographs were mentioned by Francis Darwin in his catalogue of portraits in Life …
… 1874.   computer-readable date c.1869-05-01 to 1870 -07-31   medium and …
… A further derivative is an intaglio engraving signed ‘E.W. Andrews fecit’ in the Natural History …
… in The Boy’s Own Paper, 15:743 (8 April 1893), p. 443. H. Baden Pritchard, The Photographic …

Darwin in letters, 1871: An emptying nest

Summary

The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, with the publication in February of his long-awaited book on human evolution, Descent of man. The other main preoccupation of the year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression.…

Matches: 25 hits

… The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, seeing the publication of his …
… book out of my head’. But a large proportion of Darwin’s time for the rest of the year was devoted …
… way, and the initial reception of the book in the press. Darwin fielded numerous letters from …
… offered sharp criticism or even condemnation. Darwin had expected controversy. ‘I shall be …
… a bare-faced manner.”‘ The most lively debate centred on Darwin’s evolutionary account of the …
… taste. Correspondence with his readers and critics helped Darwin to clarify, and in some cases …
… year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression. Darwin continued to investigate the …
… also brought a significant milestone for the family, as Darwin’s eldest daughter Henrietta was …
… during several past years, has been a great amusement’. Darwin had been working fairly continuously …
… work on species theory in the late 1830s. In recent years, Darwin had collected a wealth of material …
… to human evolution was comparatively small, reflecting Darwin’s aim of showing kinship with animals …
… he is “torn to pieces” by people wanting copies’, Darwin wrote to his son Francis on 28 February …
… letter from J. D. Hooker, 26 March 1871 ). The profits for Darwin were considerable. After …
… man.’ Promoting the book As usual, Darwin did his best to obtain a wide and favourable …
… (see Correspondence vol. 19, Appendix IV). Four of Darwin’s five sons received a copy, and his …
… her liking, ‘to keep in memory of the book’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, 20 March 1871 ). …
… . ancestor lived between tide-marks!’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 20 February 1871 ). Asa Gray …
… a high aesthetic appreciation of beauty ( letter from E. J. Pfeiffer, [before 26 April 1871] ). …
… most deep and tender religious feeling’ ( letter from F. E. Abbot, 20 August 1871 ). The Anglican …
… Abraham Dee Bartlett, Albert Günther, George Busk, T. H. Huxley, Osbert Salvin, and William Henry …
… and misquoting of both Darwin and Catholic theology (T. H. Huxley 1871). Huxley judged Mivart to be …
… Popery and fear for his soul’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley and H. A. Huxley, 20 September 1871 ). …
… activity would have on the elevation of land. In October 1870 , two separate square yards of ground …
… who was ‘as good as twice refined gold’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 September [1871] ). …
… up to the last with quinine & sherry’ ( letter from H. E. Litchfield to Charles and Emma Darwin …

Darwin in letters, 1872: Job done?

Summary

'My career’, Darwin wrote towards the end of 1872, 'is so nearly closed. . . What little more I can do, shall be chiefly new work’, and the tenor of his correspondence throughout the year is one of wistful reminiscence, coupled with a keen eye…

Matches: 29 hits

… ‘My career’, Darwin wrote towards the end of 1872, ‘is so nearly closed. . . What little …
… of On the origin of species , intended to be Darwin’s last, and of Expression of the …
… books brought a strong if deceptive sense of a job now done: Darwin intended, he declared to Alfred …
… 27 July [1872] ). By the end of the year Darwin was immersed in two of the studies that …
… of books and papers, and the latter formed the subject of Darwin’s last book, The formation of …
… worms , published in the year before his death. Despite Darwin’s declared intention to take up new …
… begun many years before. In his private life also, Darwin was in a nostalgic frame of mind, …
… The last word on Origin The year opened with Darwin, helped by his eldest son William, …
… on 30 January , shortly after correcting the proofs, and Darwin’s concern for the consolidation of …
… and sixth editions were costly to incorporate, and despite Darwin’s best efforts, set the final …
… closely involved in every stage of publication of his books, Darwin was keen to ensure that this …
… by the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war in July 1870 , and was now halted so that the further …
… to bring out the new edition in the United States, Darwin arranged with Murray to have it …
… had to be reset. The investment in stereotype reinforced Darwin’s intention to make no further …
… A worsening breach The criticisms against which Darwin had taken the greatest trouble to …
… objections to the theory of natural selection’, Darwin refuted point by point assertions published …
… Although Mivart was among those who wrote in January to wish Darwin a happy new year, before the …
… critical and anonymously published review of Descent . Darwin’s supporters had rallied to his …
… The republication of Wright’s paper had been arranged by Darwin himself (see Correspondence vol. …
… so bigotted a person as I am made to appear’, complained Darwin ( letter to St G. J. Mivart, 5 …
… selection is somewhat under a cloud’, he wrote to J. E. Taylor on 13 January , and he complained …
… the theories of natural and sexual selection to bees (H. Müller 1872), and with his reply Darwin …
… for myself it is dreadful doing nothing’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 October [1872] ). He was far …
… by her husband, Richard Buckley Litchfield ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 13 May 1872 ). Delivery …
… 'I know that I am half-killed myself’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 25 July 1872 ). A …
… a week later ( enclosure to letter from John Lubbock to W. E. Gladstone, 20 June 1872 ). Darwin …
… Charlton Bastian’s recent book on the origin of life (H. C. Bastian 1872; Wallace 1872d) left him …
… pleasant letters & never answer them’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 October [1872] ). But not …
… than usual. One such old friend was Sarah Haliburton, né e Owen, to whose sister, Fanny, Darwin had …

Henrietta Darwin's diary

Summary

Darwin's daughter Henrietta kept a diary for a few momentous weeks in 1871. This was the year in which Descent of Man, the most controversial of her father's books after Origin itself, appeared, a book which she had helped him write. The small…

Matches: 7 hits

… Charles Darwin’s daughter Henrietta wrote the following journal entries in March and …
… 1871 in a small lockable, leather-bound notebook now in the Darwin Archive of Cambridge University …
… excised within it, presumably by Henrietta herself. Darwin’s letters in 1870 and 1871 ( …
… scepticism; many of her arguments are reminiscent of Darwin’s own discussion of religious belief in …
… of the theory of natural selection. Snow occasionally sent Darwin information relating to his …
… one of Descent (see letter from Charles and Emma Darwin to F. J. Wedgwood, [March 1871?], and …
… period of their courtship. We are grateful to William Darwin for permission to publish the …

Darwin's in letters, 1873: Animal or vegetable?

Summary

Having laboured for nearly five years on human evolution, sexual selection, and the expression of emotions, Darwin was able to devote 1873 almost exclusively to his beloved plants. He resumed work on the digestive powers of sundews and Venus fly traps, and…

Matches: 28 hits

… evolution, sexual selection, and the expression of emotions, Darwin was able to devote 1873 almost …
… (1875) and Cross and self fertilisation (1876). Darwin’s son Francis became increasingly …
… career to become his father’s scientific secretary. Darwin had always relied on assistance from …
… Francis’s decision. A large portion of the letters Darwin received in 1873 were in response …
… the previous year. As was typical, readers wrote to Darwin personally to offer suggestions, …
… some of which were incorporated in a later edition. Darwin also contributed to discussions in the …
… Francis Galton’s work on inherited talent, which prompted Darwin to reflect on the traits and …
… Station at Naples. Plants that eat and feel? Darwin had resumed experiments on the …
… 12 January [1873] ). Drosera was the main focus of Darwin’s study of insectivorous plants, a …
… and alkaloids, and even electrical stimulation. On sending Darwin a specimen of the carnivorous …
… ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 12 January 1873 ). Darwin found that the glandular hairs on the …
… to bend inward, so that the plant closed like a fist. Darwin was fascinated by this transmission of …
… plants , p. 63). The plants secreted a viscid fluid, which Darwin suspected attracted insects by …
… ., p. 17). Through a series of painstaking experiments, Darwin determined that the secretions …
… botanist Mary Treat, who performed experiments suggested by Darwin on the North American species …
… . He began to perform experiments modelled on those of Darwin, feeding the plant egg and raw meat, …
… guide to animal experimentation that Klein had co-authored. Darwin contacted two of the Handbook …
… flower would become modified & correlated” ( letter to T. H. Farrer, 14 August 1873 ). …
… assistance from his son Francis. While visiting his fiancée, Amy Ruck, in Wales, Francis observed …
… and if so more places will be created” ( letter to E. A. Darwin, 20 September 1873 ). Erasmus, who …
… family being fit for continuous work” ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 25 September [1873] ). Shortly …
… throat like a bulldog” ( letter from L. M. Forster to H. E. Litchfield, 20 February 1873 ). The …
… or previously acquired knowledge” (A. R. Wallace 1870 , p. 204). Moggridge suggested instead that …
… it would offend his father ( enclosure to letter from T. H. Huxley, 3 December 1873 ). In …
… we should feel it a privilege to offer” ( letter from E. F. Lubbock, [before 7 April 1873] ). …
… to us to the last day of our lives” ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 23 April 1873 ). Huxley was …
… been without energy & without hope” ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 24 April 1873 ). He accepted …
… to starve sweat & purge it away” ( letter from G. H. Darwin, [1 October 1873] ). He also …

	CCD intro	(6)
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	Descent	(4)
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	audio	(1)
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Darwin Correspondence Project

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