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Darwin in letters, 1874: A turbulent year

Summary

The year 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early months working on second editions of Coral reefs and Descent of man; the rest of the year was mostly devoted to further research on insectivorous plants. A…

Matches: 24 hits

… 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early months working …
… dispute over an anonymous review that attacked the work of Darwin’s son George dominated the second …
… and traveller Alexander von Humboldt’s 105th birthday, Darwin obliged with a reflection on his debt …
… during prolonged intervals’ ( letter to D. T. Gardner, [ c . 27 August 1874] ). The death of a …
… from W. D. Fox, 8 May [1874] ). Such reminiscences led Darwin to the self-assessment, ‘as for one …
… backwards much more than forwards’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). I feel …
… Andrew Clark, whom he had been consulting since August 1873. Darwin had originally thought that …
… ( letter to B. J. Sulivan, 6 January [1874] ). Darwin mentioned his poor health so frequently in …
… 1874 ). Séances, psychics, and sceptics Darwin excused himself for reasons of …
… by George Henry Lewes and Marian Evans (George Eliot), but Darwin excused himself, finding it too …
… the month, another Williams séance was held at the home of Darwin’s cousin Hensleigh Wedgwood. Those …
… Descent was published in November 1874 ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 12 November 1874 ). Though …
… on subsequent print runs would be very good ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 12 November 1874 ). …
… review me in a hostile spirit’ ( letter to John Murray, 11 August 1874 ). Darwin was …
… Correspondence vol. 20, letter to St G. J. Mivart, 11 January [1872] ). To Darwin’s relief, …
… the moment of being hatched ( letter to Nature , 7 and 11 May [1874] ; Spalding 1872a). …
… & that must be enough for me’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). Plants that eat . …
… in a few hours dissolve the hardest cartilage, bone & meat &c. &c.’ ( letter to W. D. …
… Correspondence vol. 21, letter from Francis Darwin, [11 October 1873] ). Darwin wasted …
… whether at the ‘close of the putrefaction of flesh, skin &c, any substance is produced before …
… the photograph he sent highly ( letter from D. F. Nevill, [11 September 1874] ). At the …
… details of an Australian variety of sundew ( letter from T. C. Copland, 23 June 1874 ). …
… Sharpe for promotion at the British Museum ( letter to R. B. Sharpe, 24 November [1874] ). He …
… head that M r Spencer’s terms of equilibration &c always bother me & make everything less …

Dramatisation script

Summary

Re: Design – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig Baxter – as performed 25 March 2007

Matches: 23 hits

… Re: Design – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig …
… as the creator of this dramatisation, and that of the Darwin Correspondence Project to be identified …
… correspondence or published writings of Asa Gray, Charles Darwin, Joseph Dalton Hooker, Jane Loring …
… Actor 1 – Asa Gray Actor 2 – Charles Darwin Actor 3 – In the dress of a modern day …
… Agassiz, Adam Sedgwick, A Friend of John Stuart Mill, Emma Darwin, Horace Darwin… and acts as a sort …
… the play unfolds and acting as a go-between between Gray and Darwin, and between the audience and …
… this, he sends out copies of his Review of the Life of Darwin. At this time in his life, Asa …
… friends in England, copies of his ‘Review of the Life of Darwin’… pencilling the address so that it …
… Joseph D Hooker GRAY: 3 Charles Darwin… made his home on the border of the little …
… are kept in check by a constitutional weakness. DARWIN: A plain but comfortable brick …
… by every blessing except that of vigorous health… DARWIN: 4 My confounded stomach …
… pursuits and the simplicity of his character. DARWIN: 5 I am allowed to work now …
… in that little sheet of note-paper! DARWIN: 11 My dear Hooker… What a remarkably …
… paragraph, in which I quote and differ from you[r] 178 doctrine that each variation has been …
… ARTS AND SCIENCES, PROCEEDINGS XVII, 1882 4 C DARWIN TO JD HOOKER 10 MAY 1848 …
… 10 C DARWIN TO A GRAY, 24 AUGUST 1855 11 C DARWIN TO JD HOOKER, 5 JUNE 1855 …
… 22 NOVEMBER 1856 29 C DARWIN TO A GRAY, 11 APRIL 1861 30 A GRAY TO C …
… A GRAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 1858 58 A GRAY TO JD HOOKER, 11 OCTOBER 1858 59 A GRAY TO …
… HOOKER, 18 OCTOBER 1859 63 C DARWIN TO A GRAY, 11 NOVEMBER 1859 64 JD …
… 13 NOVEMBER 1859 66 C DARWIN TO R OWEN, 11 NOVEMBER 1859 67 C DARWIN …
… 17 FEBRUARY 1861 111 C DARWIN TO A GRAY, 11 DECEMBER 1861 112 C DARWIN …
… DARWIN TO A GRAY 28 MAY 1864 159 FROM A GRAY 11 JULY 1864 160 C DARWIN …
… TO A GRAY 28 JANUARY 1876 204 FROM A GRAY 11 DECEMBER 1874 205 TO A …

Darwin in letters, 1863: Quarrels at home, honours abroad

Summary

At the start of 1863, Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of animals and plants under domestication, anticipating with excitement the construction of a hothouse to accommodate his increasingly varied botanical experiments…

Matches: 28 hits

… At the start of 1863, Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of …
… markedly, reflecting a decline in his already weak health. Darwin then began punctuating letters …
… am languid & bedeviled … & hate everybody’. Although Darwin did continue his botanical …
… letter-writing dwindled considerably. The correspondence and Darwin’s scientific work diminished …
… of the water-cure. The treatment was not effective and Darwin remained ill for the rest of the year. …
… the correspondence from the year. These letters illustrate Darwin’s preoccupation with the …
… to man’s place in nature both had a direct bearing on Darwin’s species theory and on the problem …
… detailed anatomical similarities between humans and apes, Darwin was full of praise. He especially …
… in expressing any judgment on Species or origin of man’. Darwin’s concern about the popular …
… Lyell’s and Huxley’s books. Three years earlier Darwin had predicted that Lyell’s forthcoming …
… first half of 1863 focused attention even more closely on Darwin’s arguments for species change. …
… ‘groan’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] ). Darwin reiterated in a later letter that it …
… of creation, and the origin of species particularly, worried Darwin; he told Hooker that he had once …
… letter to J. D. Hooker, 24[–5] February [1863] ). Darwin did not relish telling Lyell of his …
… regarding species change ( letter from Charles Lyell, 11 March 1863 ). The botanist Asa Gray, …
… by descent put him ‘into despair’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 11 May [1863] ). In the same letter, he …
… bottom of seas, lakes, and rivers ( Correspondence vol. 11 , Appendix VII). Quarrels at …
… sentence from the second edition of Antiquity of man (C. Lyell 1863b, p. 469), published in …
… Academy of Sciences, Berlin (see Correspondence vol. 11 , Appendix III), and of the Société des …
… unsuccessful ( see letter from E. A. Darwin to Emma Darwin, 11 November [1863] ). The council of …
… [9 May 1863] , and memorandum from G. H. Darwin, [before 11 May 1863]) . As he struggled …
… to drive the quietest man mad’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 11 May [1863] ). Hooker and Gray agreed …
… tropical plants than before (see Correspondence vol. 11 , Appendix VI). He was fascinated with …
… pistils mature at different times ( see letter to Asa Gray, 11 May [1863] ). The fertility of …
… ‘Crossing & Sterility’ (see Correspondence vol. 11 , Appendix II). When Darwin finished, by …
… animal suffering caused by them (see Correspondence vol. 11 , Appendix IX). Francis Darwin later …
… very slowly recovering, but am very weak’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, [29 September? 1863] ). …
… Thomas’s Hospital, London ( letter from George Busk, [ c. 27 August 1863] ). Brinton, who …

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: 26 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 …
… could available online ahead of schedule as part of the “Darwin and Human Nature” project, funded by …
… nodding vertically Blair, R.H. 11 July …
… Fuegians Brooke, C.A.J. 30 Nov 1870 …
… Dyaks Brooke, C.A.J. 30 April 1871 …
… Chaumont, F.S.B.F. de 11 March 1871 Woolston, …
… blushing Darwin, Francis 20 June 1867 …
… Bartlett and S. Sutton Darwin, Francis …
… pouting Darwin, W.E. [after 29 March 1868] …
… Reade, Winwood W. [c.8 or 9 Apr 1870] Accra, West …
… 9 Nov 1870 11 St Mary Abbot's Terrace, London, England …
… 1 Feb 1871 11 St Mary Abbot's Terrace, London, England …
… 7 Sept 1872 11 St Mary Abbot's Terrace, London, England …
… 1 Feb. 1871 11 Saint Mary Abbot's Terrace, Kensington. W., London, …
… in Hottentots Smyth, R. Brough 13 Aug 1868 …
… Sulivan, B.J. 11 Jan 1867 Bournemouth, England …
… Wallace, A. R. 11 March [1867] 9 St. Mark’s Crescent …

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: 28 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 …
… on 'so difficult a subject, as evolution’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 27 July [1872] ). …
… 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 …
… remained unpublished at the end of the year ( letter from C.-F. Reinwald, 23 November 1872 ). …
… 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 …
… St George Jackson Mivart ( letter to St G. J. Mivart, 11 January [1872] ). A worsening …
… Whale & duck most beautiful’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 3 March 1872 ). I …
… Mivart not to acknowledge it ( letter to St G. J. Mivart, 11 January [1872] ). 'I hate …
… `chiefly perhaps because I do it badly’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 3 August [1872] ). …
… attacks on Darwin became notorious, had written on 11 May expressing concern that his recently, …
… from his ignorance, he feels no doubts’ ( letter to F. C. Donders, 17 June 1872 ). Right up to the …
… well informed: `The die is cast’, he wrote excitedly on 11 May , when the matter was first raised …
… Charlton Bastian’s recent book on the origin of life (H. C. Bastian 1872; Wallace 1872d) left him …
… & new views which are daily turning up’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 28 August [1872] ). …
… Lord Sackville Cecil, to attend a séance ( letter from M. C. Stanley, 4 June 1872 ). There was …
… you agreed to let them have it for love!!!’ ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 1 August 1872 ). It …
… & have not taken care of ourselves’ ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 20 November 1872 ). A …
… gift, although he doubted he would ever use it ( letter to C. L. Dodgson, 10 December 1872 ). …
… try `with straight blunt knitting needle’ ( letter to L. C. Wedgwood, 5 January [1872] ) to …
… to which any scientific man can look’ ( letter to F. C. Donders, 29 April [1872] ). …

Darwin in letters, 1876: In the midst of life

Summary

1876 was the year in which the Darwins became grandparents for the first time. And tragically lost their daughter-in-law, Amy, who died just days after her son's birth. All the letters from 1876 are now published in volume 24 of The Correspondence…

Matches: 22 hits

… The year 1876 started out sedately enough with Darwin working on the first draft of his book on the …
… games. ‘I have won, hurrah, hurrah, 2795 games’, Darwin boasted; ‘my wife … poor creature, has won …
… regarding the ailments that were so much a feature of Darwin family life. But the calm was not to …
… four days later. ‘I cannot bear to think of the future’, Darwin confessed to William on 11 …
… and his baby son Bernard now part of the household, and Darwin recasting his work on dimorphic and …
… had involved much time and effort the previous year, and Darwin clearly wanted to focus his …
… of the second edition of Climbing plants ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 23 February 1876 ). When …
… single-volume edition titled Geological observations , Darwin resisted making any revisions at …
… volume, Coral reefs , already in its second edition. Darwin was nevertheless ‘firmly resolved not …
… meticulous correction of errors in the German editions made Darwin less anxious about correcting the …
… to Carus. ( Letter to J. V. Carus, 24 April 1876. ) Darwin focused instead on the second …
… concentrated on the ‘means of crossing’, was seen by Darwin as the companion to Cross and self …
… return to old work than part of the future work outlined by Darwin in his ‘little Autobiography’ ( …
… effected by his forthcoming pamphlet, Darwin confounded (C. O’Shaughnessy 1876), which, he …
… and who had succeeded in giving him pain ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 17 June 1876 ). Although …
… year’s experiments’ ( letter from G. J. Romanes, [ c . 19 March 1876] ). A less welcome reaction …
… naturalist Thomas Edward ( letter from F. M. Balfour, 11 December 1876 ; letter to Samuel Smiles …
… because of a ‘long and terrible illness’ ( letter to C. S. Wedgwood, 20 April 1876 ). By the time …
… who died at the age of 10 in 1851, but William, who was 11 years old at the time of her death, would …
… you are one of the best of all’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 11 September [1876] ). …
… do I cannot conceive’, Darwin wrote anxiously to Hooker on 11 September. By the time Darwin …
… in harmony with yours’ ( letter from George Henslow, [ c. 7 December 1876] ). A more typical …

Darwin in letters, 1877: Flowers and honours

Summary

Ever since the publication of Expression, Darwin’s research had centred firmly on botany. The year 1877 was no exception. The spring and early summer were spent completing Forms of flowers, his fifth book on a botanical topic. He then turned to the…

Matches: 28 hits

… Ever since the publication of Expression , Darwin’s research had centred firmly on botany. The …
… of these projects would culminate in a major publication. Darwin’s botany was increasingly a …
… assisted his father’s research on movement and bloom, and Darwin in turn encouraged his son’s own …
… The year 1877 was more than usually full of honours. Darwin received two elaborate photograph albums …
… from Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands. Closer to home, Darwin received an honorary Doctorate of …
… sites for possible earthworm activity. Now in his 69th year, Darwin remained remarkably productive, …
… no controversy. In his autobiographical reflections, Darwin remarked: ‘no little discovery of …
… (‘Recollections’, p. 419). During the winter and spring, Darwin was busy preparing the manuscript of …
… and presented to the Linnean Society of London. In the book, Darwin adopted the more recent term …
… as dimorphic without comparing pollen-grains & stigmas’, Darwin remarked to Joseph Dalton …
… measurements of the size and number of pollen-grains, Darwin compared the fertility of individual …
… primrose and purple loosestrife. In the course of his work, Darwin found a number of other …
… dreadful work making out anything about dried flowers’, Darwin complained to Asa Gray on 8 March …
… which include heterstyled species. This pleases me.’. Darwin dedicated the book to Gray, ‘as a small …
… separate publications together into a larger whole enabled Darwin to advance more speculative views …
… both pollen and seeds’ ( Forms of flowers , p. 344). Darwin was typically pessimistic about the …
… for extended periods. In a letter to Thiselton-Dyer of 11 October , Darwin described how the …
… one of the young leaves with a delicate twig’ ( letter to R. I. Lynch, 14 September 1877 ). …
… but I think the great honour of its being printed in the R. Soc. Transactions, (sh d . the …
… larger aim was announced in the subtitle: Zeitschrift fü r einheitliche Weltanschauung auf Grund …
… Charles Darwin and Ernst Haeckel). Writing to Darwin on 11 March 1877 , Krause declared the …
… visits from distinguished persons. Gladstone came to Down on 11 March. ‘I expected a stern, …
… I hope it may remain for centuries to come’ ( letter from C. C. Graham, 30 January 1877 ). Graham …
… of Siebold’s study of medical monstrosity ( letter from C. T. E. Siebold, 10 October 1877 ). An …
… not been a difficulty to me,’ he replied to Romanes on 11 June , ‘as I have never believed in a …
… that they become quite tipsy’ ( letter to W. M. Moorsom, 11 September [1877] ). Moorsom replied …
… any recognition by any public bodies of England & that y r . own University w d . like to be …
… at the Senate House yesterday, with a suspended monkey &c; but I believe the cheering was more …

Race, Civilization, and Progress

Summary

Darwin's first reflections on human progress were prompted by his experiences in the slave-owning colony of Brazil, and by his encounters with the Yahgan peoples of Tierra del Fuego. Harsh conditions, privation, poor climate, bondage and servitude,…

Matches: 21 hits

… Letters | Selected Readings Darwin's first reflections on human progress were …
… human progress or cause degeneration. In the "Fuegians", Darwin thought he had witnessed …
… several years earlier as part of a missionary enterprise. Darwin was struck by the progress that had …
… been returned to their native land. After the voyage, Darwin began to question the …
… After the publication of Origin of Species , many of Darwin's supporters continued to …
… or extermination of other peoples and cultures. When Darwin wrote about the human races and …
… on human and animal behavior accumulated over three decades. Darwin argued forcefully for the unity …
… and beyond. Letters Darwin’s first observations of the peoples …
… Cambridge, John Stevens Henslow. Letter 204 : Darwin to Henslow, J. S., 11 April 1833 …
… Charles wrote to his sister, Emily Catherine Darwin, about witnessing slavery in the Portuguese …
… effect in the following year. Letter 206 : Darwin to Darwin, E. C., 22 May [– 14 July] …
… descent. Letter 4933 : Farrar, F. W. to Darwin, 6 November 1865 "so …
… this a very strong argument for the Polygenist?" Darwin asked the English settler …
… of replies from the South African native, Christian Gaika. Darwin was impressed by Gaika's …
… of civilization of the natives. Letter 5617 , Darwin to Weale, J. P. M., 27 August …
… civilization" Letter 5722 , Weale, J. P. M. to Darwin, [10 December 1867] …
… Just prior to the publication of Origin of Species , Darwin discussed his views on progress in a …
… , 6 th ed, p. 98). Letter 2503 : Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, C., 11 October [1859] …
… William Graham. Letter 2503 : Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, C., 11 October [1859] I …
… in rank." Letter 4510 : Darwin to Wallace, A. R., 28 [May 1864] "Now …
… . New York: The Free Press, 1968. Robert J. C. Young, Colonial Desire: Hybridity in Theory, …

Darwin in letters, 1864: Failing health

Summary

On receiving a photograph from Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 July 1864: ‘the venerable beard gives the look of your having suffered, and … of having grown older’. Because of poor health, Because of poor health, Darwin…

Matches: 23 hits

… On receiving a photograph from Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 July …
… … of having grown older’. This portrait, the first of Darwin with his now famous beard, had been …
… 52 hours without vomiting!! In the same month, Darwin began to consult William Jenner, …
… prescribed a variety of antacids and purgatives, and limited Darwin’s fluid intake; this treatment …
… the dimorphic aquatic cut-grass Leersia . In May, Darwin finished his paper on Lythrum …
… he had set aside the previous summer. In October, Darwin let his friends know that on his …
… to the surgeon and naturalist Francis Trevelyan Buckland, Darwin described his symptoms in some …
… November and December were also marked by the award to Darwin of the Royal Society’s Copley Medal; …
… been unsuccessfully nominated the two previous years. As Darwin explained to his cousin William …
… it was conferred, brought a dramatic conclusion to the year. Darwin also wrote to Fox that he was …
… progress’ in Britain. Challenging convention Darwin’s concern about the acceptance of …
… continue his observations indoors ( Correspondence vol. 11 ). In a letter of [27 January 1864] …
… produce tendrils However, the queries that Darwin, describing himself as ‘a broken-down …
… tendrils’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [8 February 1864] ). Darwin’s excitement about his …
… ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 2 June [1864] ). When Darwin asked Oliver whether the tendrils of …
… for his teacherly tone, explaining that he had felt that Darwin had misunderstood some accepted …
… ( letter from Daniel Oliver, [17 March 1864] ). Though Darwin replied with his typical humility …
… habits of climbing plants’ (‘Climbing plants’), which Darwin submitted to the Linnean Society in …
… 5 September 1864 ). Fritz Müeller sent his book, Für Darwin , and Darwin had it translated by a …
… two letters to the Athenæum ( Correspondence vol. 11 ). Darwin’s anxiety about the matter was …
… but Lyell says when I read his discussion in the Elements [C. Lyell 1865] I shall recant for fifth …
… and the question of human origins ( Correspondence vol. 11 ). Wallace, however, traced a possible …
… on intellectual & moral qualities’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 28 [May 1864] ). …

Darwin in letters, 1878: Movement and sleep

Summary

In 1878, Darwin devoted most of his attention to the movements of plants. He investigated the growth pattern of roots and shoots, studying the function of specific organs in this process. Working closely with his son Francis, Darwin devised a series of…

Matches: 28 hits

… lessen injury to leaves from radiation In 1878, Darwin devoted most of his attention to …
… in this process. Working closely with his son Francis, Darwin devised a series of experiments to …
… plant laboratories in Europe. While Francis was away, Darwin delighted in his role as …
… from botanical research was provided by potatoes, as Darwin took up the cause of an Irish …
… would rid Ireland of famine. Several correspondents pressed Darwin for his views on religion, …
… closed with remarkable news of a large legacy bequeathed to Darwin by a stranger as a reward for his …
… birthday ( letter to Ernst Haeckel, 12 February [1878] ), Darwin reflected that it was ‘more …
… Expression ), and the final revision of Origin (1872), Darwin had turned almost exclusively to …
… Movement in plants In the spring of 1878, Darwin started to focus on the first shoots and …
… were enrolled as researchers, as were family members. Darwin asked his niece Sophy to observe …
… ( letter to Sophy Wedgwood, 24 March [1878–80] ). While Darwin was studying the function of …
… on one side, then another, to produce movement in the stalk. Darwin compared adult and young leaves …
… after growth has ceased or nearly ceased.’ Finally, Darwin turned to plant motion below the …
… precision the lines of least resistance in the ground.’ Darwin would devote a whole chapter to the …
… that he missed sensitiveness of apex’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, [11 May 1878] ). Having …
… instrument to various plants. To confirm the results, Darwin borrowed a siren from Tyndall, who had …
… ill-luck to them, are not sensitive to aerial vibrations’, Darwin complained. ‘I am ashamed at my …
… 8 August. ‘Alas Frank is off tomorrow to Wurzburg,’ Darwin wrote to Thiselton-Dyer on 2 June , ‘ …
… Thiselton-Dyer, 18 June [1878] ). While Francis was away, Darwin sent regular reports about their …
… to, about my work, I scribble to you ( letter to Francis Darwin, 7 [July 1878] ). Two weeks later …
… not having you to discuss it with’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, 20 [July 1878] ). It is …
… had chlorophyll, Francis reported ( letter from Francis Darwin, [after 7 July 1878] ): ‘The oats …
… to expertise. ‘It is funny’, he wrote to Huxley on 11 August , ‘the Academy having elected a man …
… Record”’ ( letter from Edmund Mojsisovics von Mojsvár, 28 April 1878 ). ‘What a wonderful change …
… whatever he earnestly desires’ ( letter to James Grant, 11 March 1878 ). The question of …
… opponent’ ( Correspondence vol. 24, letter to T. C. Eyton, 22 April 1876 ). ‘When I first read …
… secretary, Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil ( letter to R. A. T. Gascoyne-Cecil, 18 May 1878 ). …
… to natural science & aids me in my work; a 4th son is in the R. Engineers & is getting on …

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: 8 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] …
… typically-male readers. Letter 7124 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E., [8 February 1870] …
… work. Letter 5861 - Blyth, E. to Darwin, [11 February 1868] Zoologist …
… Letter 9633 - Nevill, D. F. to Darwin, [11 September 1874] Dorothy Nevill tells …

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: 13 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 …
… of emotion (see letters from F. J. Wedgwood to H. E. and C. R. Darwin, [1867–72], letter nos. …
… 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 …
… amongst whom of course was Lena had any knowledge of it. M r . W. spoke or preached as u like to …
… Father who w d be waiting for her—when down came M r . W. on his knees between them & said, …
… worship of humanity—this I hope is only in its bud— I c d conceive a life wh. was filled & …
… be a good wife I have indeed neglected my 10 talents. 11 July 5th. A beautiful day …
… . 10 Bradshaw’s railway guide . 11 For the biblical parable of the talents …

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: 20 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 …
… taken from their homeland in Tierra del Fuego to England, Darwin wrote: ‘in contradiction of what …
… were often crossed in practice ( see correspondence with C. Kennard, below ). The implications of …
… Key letters: Letter to J. S. Henslow, 11 April 1833 Letter to C. R. Lyell, 11 …
… 1867] Further reading: Crais, Clifton C. 1992. White supremacy and black …
… 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 …
… women Key letters : Letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] Letter …
… 28 January 1882 Further Reading: Darwin, Descent of man (1871), 2: 326–9. …

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: 23 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 …
… every day’ ( letter to H. B. Jones, 3 January [1866] ). Darwin had first consulted Jones in July …
… ( letter from H. B. Jones, 10 February [1866] ). Darwin began riding the cob, Tommy, on 4 …
… you go on, after the startling apparition of your face at R.S. Soirèe—which I dreamed of 2 nights …
… so you are in for it’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [ c . 10 May 1866] ). Henrietta’s …
… Haeckel. The German zoologist had written to Darwin on 11 January 1866 , ‘Every time I succeed in …
… teleological development ( see for example, letter to C. W. Nägeli, 12 June [1866] ). Also in …
… common broom ( Cytisus scoparius ) and the white broom ( C. multiflorus ) in his botanical …
… and June on the subject of Rhamnus catharticus (now R. cathartica ). Darwin had become …
… (Correspondence vol. 9, letter from Asa Gray, 11 October 1861 ). Darwin wished to establish …
… of separate sexes. William gathered numerous specimens of R. catharticus , the only species of …
… diœcious’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin, [7 May – 11 June 1866] ). On examining more specimens later …
… replied with a modified list, adding Fritz Müller’s Fü r Darwin , and a recent fossil discovery in …
… selection, and with special creation ( letter from W. R. Grove, 31 August 1866 ). Hooker later …
… ‘I am glad to hear from Spencer’, Huxley wrote on 11 November , ‘that you are on the right (that …
… indeed at poor Susan’s loneliness’ ( letter from E. C. Langton to Emma and Charles Darwin, [6 and 7 …

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: 22 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 …
… in her garden. Letter 4523 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [6 June 1864] …
… . Letter 5745 - Barber, M. E. to Darwin, [after February 1867] Mary Barber …
… Egypt. Letter 7223 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C., [8 June 1867 - 72] Darwin …
… Henrietta. Letter 7179 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [5 May 1870] …
… the wallpaper. Letter 5756 - Langton, E. & C. to Wedgwood S. E., [after 9 …
… Letter 1701 - Morris, M. H. to Prior, R. C. A., [17 June 1855] Margaretta Hare Morris …
… in Llandudno. Letter 4823 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, H. E., [May 1865] …
… Letter 8144 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C., [5 January 1872] Darwin asks his niece, …
… Lychnis diurna. Letter 8168 - Ruck, A. R . to Darwin, H., [20 January 1872] …
… lawn. Letter 8224 - Darwin to Ruck, A. R., [24 February 1872] Darwin …
… Letter 9606 - Harrison, L. C. to Darwin, [22 August 1874] Darwin’s niece, Lucy, …
… Letter 4928 - Henslow, G. to Darwin, [11 November 1865] J. S. Henslow’s son, George, …
… Letter 1701 - Morris, M. H. to Prior, R. C. A., [17 June 1855] Margaretta Hare Morris …
… garden ”. Letter 6083 - Casparay, J. X. R. to Darwin, [2 April 1868] …
… Letter 2461 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [11 May 1859] Darwin expresses anxiety over …
… the future. Letter 4038 - Darwin to Lyell, C., [12-13 March 1863] Darwin …
… . Several reviewers speak of the “lucid, vigorous style, &c.” for which he owes her a great debt …
… Letter 7858 - Darwin to Wa llace, A. R., [12 July 1871] Darwin tells Wallace that …

Darwin in letters, 1868: Studying sex

Summary

The quantity of Darwin’s correspondence increased dramatically in 1868 due largely to his ever-widening research on human evolution and sexual selection.Darwin’s theory of sexual selection as applied to human descent led him to investigate aspects of the…

Matches: 26 hits

… On 6 March 1868, Darwin wrote to the entomologist and accountant John Jenner Weir, ‘If any …
… he ought to do what I am doing pester them with letters.’ Darwin was certainly true to his word. The …
… and sexual selection. In Origin , pp. 87–90, Darwin had briefly introduced the concept of …
… process. In a letter to Alfred Russel Wallace in 1864, Darwin claimed that sexual selection was ‘the …
… to the stridulation of crickets. At the same time, Darwin continued to collect material on …
… his immediate circle of friends and relations. In July 1868 Darwin was still anticipating that his …
… which was devoted to sexual selection in the animal kingdom. Darwin described his thirst for …
… in January 1868. A final delay caused by the indexing gave Darwin much vexation. ‘My book is …
… 1867 and had expected to complete it in a fortnight. But at Darwin’s request, he modified his …
… the text. This increased the amount of work substantially. Darwin asked Murray to intervene, …
… it was by Gray himself, but Darwin corrected him: ‘D r Gray would strike me in the face, but not …
… . It is a disgrace to the paper’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 24 February [1868] ). The review was …
… April 1868 . The letter was addressed to ‘the Rev d C. Darwin M.d’; Binstead evidently assumed …
… the enthusiastic breeder, who apologised in a letter of 11 –13 May 1868 for his ‘voluminuous zeal …
… Weir, 30 May [1868] ). Sexual selection On 11 February , Darwin wrote to the …
… I did not see this, or rather I saw it only obs[c]urely, & have kept only a few references.’ …
… views differed. Of deer-hounds, Cupples wrote between 11 and 13 May , ‘much depends on the …
… as life he wd find the odour sexual!’ ( letter to A . R. Wallace, 16 September [1868] ). Francis …
… south of France to Sarah Elizabeth Wedgwood on 9 Novembe r, describing sphinx moths that were …
… question of the “Origin of Species”’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 4 October 1868 ). …
… hands of the enemies of Nat. Selection’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 8 [April] 1868 ). …
… mission stations in Victoria, Australia ( letter from R. B. Smyth, 13 August 1868 ); lengthy …
… of her two-month old daughter Katherine ( letter from C. M. Hawkshaw to Emma Darwin, 9 February …
… rest mostly on faith, and on accumulation of adaptations, &c) … Of course I understand your …
… ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 1 September [1868], n. 11 ). ‘I am not sure’, Darwin reflected in a …
… who wished to pay ‘his devotions at the shrine of D r . Darwin’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 20 …

Religion

Summary

Design|Personal Belief|Beauty|The Church Perhaps the most notorious realm of controversy over evolution in Darwin's day was religion. The same can be said of the evolution controversy today; however the nature of the disputes and the manner in…

Matches: 12 hits

… the most notorious realm of controversy over evolution in Darwin's day was religion. The same …
… nineteenth century were different in important ways. Many of Darwin's leading supporters were …
… their religious beliefs with evolutionary theory. Darwin's own writing, both in print and …
… much as possible. A number of correspondents tried to draw Darwin out on his own religious views, …
… political contexts. Design Darwin was not the first to challenge …
… on the controversial topic of design. The first is between Darwin and Harvard botanist Asa Gray, …
… Origin . The second is a single letter from naturalist A. R. Wallace to Darwin on design and …
… about an angel. Letter 3342 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 11 Dec [1861] Darwin …
… Darwin and Wallace Letter 5140 — Wallace, A. R. to Darwin, C. R., 2 July 1866 …
… Darwin and Graham Letter 13230 — Darwin, C. R. to Graham, William, 3 July 1881 …
… Letter 5004 — Darwin, C. R. to Shaw, James, 11 Feb [1866] Darwin thanks James Shaw for the …
… Letter 1536 — Darwin, C. R. to Lubbock, J. W. (b), 11 Oct [1853] Darwin gives his opinion to …

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: 26 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 …
… contents, if immersed for some hours in a weak solution of C. of Ammonia’. Darwin’s interest in root …
… 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 …
… Appendix V). The conservative Quarterly Review , owned by Darwin’s publisher John Murray, carried …
… themselves’ ( Quarterly Review , January 1882, p. 179). Darwin commented at length on the review …
… rather the best of the fight’ ( letter from G. F. Crawte, 11 March 1882 ). The battle apparently …
… our homes, would in this case greatly suffer’ ( letter to C. A. Kennard, 9 January 1882 ). Kennard …
… judged, intellectually his inferior, please ( letter from C. A. Kennard, 28 January 1882 ). …
… a ‘Glycerin Pepsin mixture’ (letters to W. W. Baxter, 11 March 1882 and 18 March [1882 ]). …
… dull aching in the chest’ (Emma Darwin to G. H. Darwin, [ c . 28 March 1882] (DAR 210.3: 45)). …
… immediately wrote to George, who had visited Down on 11 April (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)). …
… to some Estancia,’ wrote Hughes, ‘as the scenery &c. will amply repay your trouble’ ( letter …
… where he had witnessed an earthquake in 1835 ( letter from R. E. Alison, [March–July 1835 ]). …
… will be months before I am able to work’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, [ c . 10 April 1864] ). To …
… man’s private property’ ( letter to George Warington, 11 October [1867] ). Respecting the …

List of correspondents

Summary

Below is a list of Darwin's correspondents with the number of letters for each one. Click on a name to see the letters Darwin exchanged with that correspondent. "A child of God" (1) Abberley,…

Matches: 11 hits

… Below is a list of Darwin's correspondents with the number of letters for each one. …
… (1) Athenæum (11) Atkin, J. R. (1) …
… (1) Berliner Gesellschaft für Anthropologie, Ethnologie und Urgeschichte …
… (3) Bosquet, J. A. H. de (11) Bostock, John …
… (2) Breitenbach, Wilhelm (11) Brent, B. P. …
… (2) Bunbury, C. J. F. (11) Bunbury, F. J. …
… (1) Caspary, Robert (11) Cassell Petter & …
… (40) Crick, W. D. (11) Crier, John …
… (1) Crocker, C. W. (11) Crocq, Jean …
… Dareste, Camille (9) Darwin family (1) …
… (1) Dobell, H. B. (11) Dobson, G. E. …

Have you read the one about....

Summary

... the atheistical cats, or the old fogies in Cambridge? We've suggested a few - some funny, some serious - but all letters you can read here.

Matches: 1 hits

… ... the atheistical cats, or the old fogies in Cambridge? We've suggested a few - some funny, some …

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