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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: 5 hits

… Below is a list of Darwin's correspondents with the number of letters for each one. …
… Dareste, Camille (9) Darwin family (1) …
… Darwin, E. L. (1) Darwin, Elizabeth (9) …
… James (a) (5) Drysdale, Elizabeth (1) …
… Charlotte (2) Wedgwood, Elizabeth (11) …

Darwin's correspondence shows that women made significant contributions to Darwin's work, but whether and how they were acknowledged in print involved complex considerations of social standing, professional standing, and personal preference.…

Matches: 16 hits

… Darwin's correspondence shows that women made significant contributions to Darwin's work, …
… set of selected letters is followed by letters relating to Darwin's 1881 publication …
… throughout Variation . Letter 2395 - Darwin to Holland, Miss, [April 1860] …
… anonymised and masculinised. Letter 3316 - Darwin to Nevill, D. F., [12 November …
… Nevill is referenced by name for her “kindness” in Darwin’s Fertilisation of Orchids . …
… critic. Letter 4370 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [April - May 1865] Darwin …
… as “friends in Surrey”. Letter 4794 - Darwin to Lyell, C., [25 March 1865] …
… B”. Letter 7060 - Wedgwood, F. J. to Darwin, [1867 - 72] Darwin’s …
… in the final publication. Letter 7223 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C., [9 June 1867 - …
… in Expression . Letter 5817 - Darwin to Huxley, T. H., [30 January 1868 …
… infants identified by name in Expression was novelist Elizabeth Gaskell for her description …
… rely”. Letter 8427 - Darwin to Litchfield H. E., [25 July 1872] Darwin …
… Letter 8168 - Ruck, A. R. to Darwin, H., [20 January 1872] Amy Ruck reports the …
… Letter 8193 - Ruck, A. R. to Darwin, H., [1 February 1872] Amy Ruck sends a …
… Letter 11221 - Darwin to Darwin, H., [1 November 1877] Darwin asks his sons, …
… . Letter 12745 - Darwin to Wedgwood, K. E. S., [8 October 1880] Darwin …

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: 8 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 …
… 13 Katherine Euphemia Wedgwood . 14 Hope Elizabeth Wedgwood . …

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: 27 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 …
… 12, letter to A. R. Wallace, 28 [May 1864] ). Darwin’s theory of sexual selection as …
… 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, …
… … though it would be a great loss to the Book’. But Darwin’s angry letter to Murray crossed one from …
… blank’ ( letter from W. S. Dallas, 8 January 1868 ). Darwin sympathised, replying on 14 January …
… as stone, if it were not quite mollified by your note’. Darwin enclosed a cheque to Dallas for £55 …
… and descent in the Fortnightly Review , and asked Darwin for comments. Darwin was clearly …
… ‘fast passing away’ that sparked the most discussion. Darwin wrote to Hooker on 23 February , …
… authorship. John Murray thought it was by Gray himself, but Darwin corrected him: ‘D r Gray would …
… of Science, Robertson published a rejoinder, arousing Darwin’s ire still further: ‘he is a scamp …
… all sorts of subjects In writing Variation , Darwin had been careful to acknowledge …
… classes, a dim ray of light may be gained’ ( letter to H. T. Stainton, 21 February [1868] ). From …
… Edmund Langton wrote from the south of France to Sarah Elizabeth Wedgwood on 9 Novembe r, …
… and had himself watched elephants cry (letters to W. E. Darwin, [15 March 1868] and 8 April …
… of the caudicle of Ophrys muscifera (letters from T. H. Farrer, 17 May 1868 and 18 May …
… to oneself … is no slight gain’ ( letter from T. H. Farrer, 17 September 1868 ). Darwin continued …
… Africa, Darwin received from Hooker an account by Mary Elizabeth Barber of local variations in the …
… induced him to stay away ( letter from S. J. O’H. Horsman, 2 June [1868] ). But if Horsman …
… at the shrine of D r . Darwin’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 20 July 1868 ). Darwin received a …

Darwin’s observations on his children

Summary

Charles Darwin’s observations on the development of his children, began the research that culminated in his book The Expression of the emotions in man and animals, published in 1872, and his article ‘A biographical sketch of an infant’, published in Mind…

Matches: 25 hits

… Charles Darwin’s observations on the development of his children,[1] began the …
… is available below . As with much of his other work, Darwin gathered additional information on the …
… lunatics, the blind, and animals. And as early as 1839 Darwin had begun to collect information on …
… the expression of emotions. As the following transcript of Darwin’s notes reveals, he closely …
… William Erasmus, the stages of his development suggesting to Darwin those expressions which are …
… The tone of the manuscript reflects an aspect of Darwin’s character clearly perceived by Emma during …
… “What does that prove”.’[6] For in these notes, Darwin’s deep scientific curiosity transcends his …
… that on occasion he refers to William as ‘it’. Darwin possessed the ability to dissociate …
… memories.[8] Yet, though the dissociation was essential for Darwin’s scientific goal, the notes here …
… until September 1844. Parallels in the development of Anne Elizabeth , born 2 March 1841, were also …
… the record breaks off until January 1852, by which time the Darwin family had increased by five: …
… the onset of frowning, smiling, etc., as was the focus of Darwin’s attention on William and Anne, …
… of logical thought and language. On 20 May 1854, Darwin again took over the notebook and, …
… all the notes until July 1856, when the observations ceased. Darwin’s later entries, like Emma’s, …
… Transcription: 1 [9] W. Erasmus. Darwin born. Dec. 27 th . 1839.—[10] During first week. …
… 35 & to take a crust, when their pudding was finished.— Elizabeth [45] remarked him careful …
… flower garden perceived them, said they were not Dziver’s (Elizabeth ’s) flowers. ie were not natural …
… very contradictory; by mistake he one day graciously gave Elizabeth a kiss, but repenting said …
… 46 Horace[71] 2½. G. When shall you wean baby. H. I am weaned for there’s no more milk. …
… written in pencil by CD and subsequently overwritten by Emma Darwin. The transcription throughout …
… [15] ‘Annie . . . fortnight’ was written by Emma Darwin on the verso of page 3 and opposite the …
… to Anne and Henrietta were added considerably later; Anne Elizabeth was born in 1841 and Henrietta …
… by Emma Darwin. [29] Caroline Sarah Wedgwood, Elizabeth (Bessy) Wedgwood, and Josiah Wedgwood …
… by CD or Emma Darwin. It is perhaps in the hand of Sarah Elizabeth (Elizabeth ) Wedgwood who, …
… first books that she could recall encountering as a child (H. E. Litchfield papers, CUL). [60 …

Darwin in letters, 1879: Tracing roots

Summary

Darwin spent a considerable part of 1879 in the eighteenth century. His journey back in time started when he decided to publish a biographical account of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin to accompany a translation of an essay on Erasmus’s evolutionary ideas…

Matches: 24 hits

… There are summaries of all Darwin's letters from the year 1879 on this website. The full texts …
… 27 of the print edition of The correspondence of Charles Darwin , published by Cambridge …
… to publish a biographical account of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin to accompany a translation of an …
… the sensitivity of the tips. Despite this breakthrough, when Darwin first mentioned the book to his …
… 1879 ). He was also unsatisfied with his account of Erasmus Darwin, declaring, ‘My little biography …
… a holiday in the Lake District in August did little to raise Darwin’s spirits. ‘I wish that my …
… W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, [after 26] July [1879] ). From July, Darwin had an additional worry: the …
… that his grandfather had felt the same way. In 1792, Erasmus Darwin had written: ‘The worst thing I …
… contained a warmer note and the promise of future happiness: Darwin learned he was to be visited by …
… Hacon, 31 December 1879 ). Seventy years old Darwin’s seventieth birthday on 12 …
… the veteran of Modern Zoology’, but it was in Germany that Darwin was most fêted. A German …
… & would please Francis’, he pointed out ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 13 March [1879 ]). …
… with the when & the where, & the who—’ ( letter from V. H. Darwin, 28 May [1879] ). On the …
… thought ‘perfect in every way’ ( letter from E. A. Wheler, 25 March 1879 ). She suggested that …
… and well, and with little fatigue’ ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1879 , and letter from …
… to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 5 June 1879 , and letter to G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1879 ). Darwin’s …
… In August, Bernard accompanied his grandparents, Aunt Elizabeth (Bessy) Darwin, and Henrietta and …
… … neither cross nor ennuied’ (Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, [4 August 1879] (DAR 219.1: 125)). Darwin …
… wait for three months. ‘Nothing can be more useless than T.H’s conduct’, Emma Darwin pointed out, …
… say that he has opposed it’ (letter from Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, [4 August 1879] (DAR 219.1: …
… to get home ‘& began drumming at once’ (Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield, [27 August 1879] (DAR …
… & I may not be equal to the exertion’ ( letter to H. A. Pitman, [13 May 1879] ). In the end, …
… it dominated the picture (letter from Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield, [17 July 1879] (DAR 219.9: …
… men of science quarrelled (letter from Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, [6 September 1879] (DAR 219.1: …

Darwin’s reading notebooks

Summary

In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished to read in Notebook C (Notebooks, pp. 319–28). In 1839, these lists were copied and continued in separate notebooks. The first of these reading notebooks (DAR 119…

Matches: 26 hits

… In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished …
… used these notebooks extensively in dating and annotating Darwin’s letters; the full transcript …
… *128). For clarity, the transcript does not record Darwin’s alterations. The spelling and …
… book had been consulted. Those cases where it appears that Darwin made a genuine deletion have been …
… a few instances, primarily in the ‘Books Read’ sections, Darwin recorded that a work had been …
… of the books listed in the other two notebooks. Sometimes Darwin recorded that an abstract of the …
… own. Soon after beginning his first reading notebook, Darwin began to separate the scientific …
… the second reading notebook. Readers primarily interested in Darwin’s scientific reading, therefore, …
… editors’ identification of the book or article to which Darwin refers. A full list of these works is …
… page number (or numbers, as the case may be) on which Darwin’s entry is to be found. The …
… 1819]. see p. 17 Note Book C. for reference to authors about E. Indian Islands 8 consult D r …
… of variation in animals in the different isl ds of E Indian Archipelago— [DAR *119: 6v.] …
… & Rev. W. Herbert.— notes to White Nat. Hist of Selbourne [E. T. Bennett ed. 1837 and [J. Rennie …
… 2 vols. 8vo. avec 2 atlas 4to. ibid, 1818–23. £1 2 s [E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1818–23] …
… said to be Poor Sir. J. Edwards Botanical Tour [?J. E. Smith 1793] Fabricius (very old …
… at Maer.— Lives of Kepler & Galileo. Drinkwater [J. E. Drinkwater] 1833]— Prof. …
… th . Hume’s Hist of England [Hume 1763]. to beginning of Elizabeth . Sept 14 th . 4 first …
… 8] 1854 Jan 15. Seeman’s Narrative of H.M.S. Herald [Seeman 1853]. Feb 6. …
… on chemistry (Liebig 1851). 50 Probably Elizabeth Wedgwood. 51 This …
… Belcher, Edward. 1848. Narrative of the voyage of H.M.S. Samarang during the years 1843–46; …
… of the Devereux, Earls of Essex, in the reigns of Elizabeth , James I., and Charles I., 1540 …
… of England from the fall of Wolsey to the death of Elizabeth . 12 vols. London. 1856–70. 128: …
… Narrative of a voyage round the world, performed in H.M.S. Sulphur, 1836–42 . 2 vols. …
… . Pt 1 of The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. Discovery Ships Erebus and Terror in …
… Beete. 1847. Narrative of the surveying voyage of H.M.S. Fly … in the Torres Strait, New …
… Keppel, Henry. 1846. The expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido for the suppression of piracy; …

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: 27 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 …
… James Croll, 31 January [1869] ). Croll could not supply Darwin with an estimate of the age of the …
… ( letter from James Croll, 4 February 1869 ). Darwin did not directly challenge Thomson’s …
… 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 …
… 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 …
… 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: 15 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 …
… of alpine flora in the USA. Letter 2125 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 20 July [1857] …
… 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 …
… In this letter, naturalist, artist, and writer Mary Elizabeth Barber replies to Queries on …

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] ). …
… Agassiz’s views through a letter to Lyell’s wife, Mary Elizabeth Lyell, from Elizabeth Cabot Cary …
… 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 …
… 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 …

Darwin in letters, 1837–1843: The London years to 'natural selection'

Summary

The seven-year period following Darwin's return to England from the Beagle voyage was one of extraordinary activity and productivity in which he became recognised as a naturalist of outstanding ability, as an author and editor, and as a professional…

Matches: 25 hits

… The seven-year period following Darwin's return to England from the Beagle voyage was one …
… the publication of the Zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle , for which he described the …
… a family Busy as he was with scientific activities, Darwin found time to re-establish family …
… close contact. In November 1838, two years after his return, Darwin became engaged to his cousin, …
… 1842, the family, now increased by a daughter, Anne Elizabeth , moved to Down House in Kent, where …
… his greatest theoretical achievement, the most important of Darwin’s activities during the years …
… identifications of his bird and fossil mammal specimens, Darwin arrived at the daring and momentous …
… in species. With this new theoretical point of departure Darwin continued to make notes and explore …
… present in the version of 1859. Young author Darwin’s investigation of the species …
… the Beagle had returned to England, news of some of Darwin’s findings had been spread by the …
… great excitement. The fuller account of the voyage and Darwin’s discoveries was therefore eagerly …
… suitable categories for individual experts to work upon, Darwin applied himself to the revision of …
… third volume of the Narrative of the surveying voyage of H.M.S. Adventure and Beagle. Darwin’s …
… and natural history of the various countries visited by H.M.S. Beagle . Also in November 1837, …
… to the Society of 9 March 1838), had been developed by Darwin from a suggestion made by his uncle, …
… Sedgwick, [after 15 May 1838] ). The new research Darwin undertook after 1837 was an …
… time, the parallel terraces, or ‘roads’, of Glen Roy. Darwin had seen similar formations on the …
… roads of Glen Roy’, Collected papers 1: 88–137). Darwin later abandoned this view, calling it a …
… contemporaneous unstratified deposits of South America”, Darwin continued to defend his and Lyell’s …
… 1842, having heard of evidence of glaciation in North Wales, Darwin made a tour there in order to …
… more satisfactorily than any alternative explanation. Darwin eventually relinquished this theory and …
… the Beagle voyage In addition to his work on geology Darwin undertook to provide a …
… the publication of the Zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle from February 1838 to October 1843 …
… , by Thomas Bell—a total of nineteen quarto issues. Darwin contributed a substantial portion of the …
… to Caroline Darwin, 13 October 1834 , and letter from R. E. Alison, 25 June 1835 ). Henry …

Darwin in letters, 1880: Sensitivity and worms

Summary

‘My heart & soul care for worms & nothing else in this world,’ Darwin wrote to his old Shrewsbury friend Henry Johnson on 14 November 1880. Darwin became fully devoted to earthworms in the spring of the year, just after finishing the manuscript of…

Matches: 22 hits

… heart & soul care for worms & nothing else in this world,’ Darwin wrote to his old …
… to adapt to varying conditions. The implications of Darwin’s work for the boundary between animals …
… studies of animal instincts by George John Romanes drew upon Darwin’s early observations of infants, …
… of evolution and creation. Many letters flowed between Darwin and his children, as he took delight …
… Financial support for science was a recurring issue, as Darwin tried to secure a Civil List pension …
… with Samuel Butler, prompted by the publication of Erasmus Darwin the previous year. …
… Charles Harrison Tindal, sent a cache of letters from two of Darwin’s grandfather’s clerical friends …
… divines to see a pig’s body opened is very amusing’, Darwin replied, ‘& that about my …
… registry offices, and produced a twenty-page history of the Darwin family reaching back to the …
… the world’ ( letter from J. L. Chester, 3 March 1880 ). Darwin’s sons George and Leonard also …
… and conciliate a few whose ancestors had not featured in Darwin’s Life . ‘In an endeavour to …
… find an ordinary mortal who could laugh’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin to Charles and Emma Darwin, 22 …
… a grievance to hang an article upon’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin, [28 January 1880] ). …
… , sending one or both to his daughter Henrietta ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 1 February [1880] ). …
… he will have the last word’, she warned ( letter from H. E. Litchfield, [1 February 1880] ). ‘He …
… Darwinophobia? It is a horrid disease’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 3 February 1880 ). All …
… I was, also, rarely fit to see anybody’ ( letter to S. H. Haliburton, 13 December 1880 ). …
… thus one looks to prevent its return’ ( letter from J.-H. Fabre, 18 February 1880 ). Darwin shared …
… aided in any way direct attacks on religion’ ( letter to E. B. Aveling, 13 October 1880 ). Finally …
… biologist of our time’ ( letter from W. D. Roebuck to G. H. Darwin, 25 October 1880 ). The …
… 21 years since the Origin appeared”‘ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 11 [April] 1880 ). While praising …
… for the Wedgwood nieces. Later in the year, Emma’s sister Elizabeth Wedgwood died at her home, …

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: 21 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 …
… ). The death of a Cambridge friend, Albert Way, caused Darwin’s cousin, William Darwin Fox, to …
… from W. D. Fox, 8 May [1874] ). Such reminiscences led Darwin to the self-assessment, ‘as for one …
… I feel very old & helpless The year started for Darwin with a week’s visit to …
… 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 …
… the month, another Williams séance was held at the home of Darwin’s cousin Hensleigh Wedgwood. Those …
… he was thus free to perform his antics’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 29 January [1874] ). This did …
… sweetly all the horrid bother of correction’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 21 [March 1874] ). The …
… I have pounded the enemy into a jelly’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 14 April 1874 ). The technical …
… and never mind where it goes’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 16 April 1874 ). The second …
… conciseness & clearness of your thought’ ( letter from G. H. Darwin, 20 April 1874 ). …
… the spread of various mental and physical disorders (G. H. Darwin 1873b). In July 1874, an anonymous …
… artificial gastric juice for about a week ( letter from E. E. Klein, 14 May 1874 ). John Burdon …
… try to get it exhibited at a Royal Society of London soirée (see letter from Anton Dohrn, 6 April …
… nephew, the fine-art specialist Henry Parker ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 17 [March 1874] ). He …
… letter John Murray, 9 May [1874] ). He communicated Mary Elizabeth Barber’s paper on the pupae of …
… Julius Victor Carus, and his publisher, Eduard Koch of E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, …

Darwin and the Church

Summary

The story of Charles Darwin’s involvement with the church is one that is told far too rarely. It shows another side of the man who is more often remembered for his personal struggles with faith, or for his role in large-scale controversies over the…

Matches: 21 hits

… The story of Charles Darwin’s involvement with the church is one that is told far too rarely. It …
… unique window into this complicated relationship throughout Darwin’s life, as it reveals his …
… belief (and doubt) than many non-conformist denominations. Darwin’s parents attended a Unitarian …
… the necessary studies to be a clergyman. During Darwin’s lifetime, the vast majority of the …
… income was essential to enjoy a gentlemanly lifestyle. For Darwin, who could rely on the financial …
… compatible with the pursuit of scientific interests. Indeed, Darwin’s Cambridge mentor, John Stevens …
… (Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine (1887): 321). Darwin started on his journey around the world …
… it even through a grove of Palms.—’ (letter to Caroline Darwin, 25–6 April [1832] ). Darwin’s …
… British Museum or some other learned place’ (letter from E. A. Darwin, 18 August [1832] ). …
… about—’ (letter to W. D. Fox, [9–12 August] 1835 ). Darwin’s doubts about orthodox belief, and …
… from the late 1830s, and in correspondence with his fiancée, Emma Wedgwood, in 1838 and 1839, as can …
… within six years of his return from the Beagle voyage, Darwin moved to Down House, in the …
… where their children Mary and Charles were buried; later Darwin’s brother Erasmus, Emma’s sister …
… of Emma, whose religious scruples are discussed here. But Darwin’s correspondence reveals his own …
… Although he was not the principal landowner in Down, Darwin was a gentleman of means, and clearly …
… made inroads on Anglican authority in the countryside. The Darwin family took an interest in, and …
… Many of the letters highlighted in this section focus on Darwin’s long-standing relationship with …
… To the end of his life Innes refused to be persuaded by Darwin’s theory of evolution, but …
… cordial; in the first extant letter of the correspondence, Darwin wrote to Innes expressing concern …
… complications he left behind (letter from S. J. O’H. Horsman, 2 June [1868] ). Among the reasons …
… Victorian clergy. London: Croom Helm. Keppel, T. E. 1887. The country parson as he was, and as …

Darwin in letters, 1858-1859: Origin

Summary

The years 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From a quiet rural existence filled with steady work on his ‘big book’ on species, he was jolted into action by the arrival of an unexpected letter from Alfred Russel Wallace…

Matches: 26 hits

… 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From a quiet rural existence …
… Russel Wallace. This letter led to the first announcement of Darwin’s and Wallace’s respective …
… the composition and publication, in November 1859, of Darwin’s major treatise On the origin of …
… exceeded my wildest hopes By the end of 1859, Darwin’s work was being discussed in …
… Charles Lyell, 25 [November 1859] ). This transformation in Darwin’s personal world and the …
… The 'big book' The year 1858 opened with Darwin hard at work preparing his ‘big …
… his ninth chapter, on hybridism, on 29 December 1857, Darwin began in January 1858 to prepare the …
… appropriate. The correspondence shows that at any one time Darwin was engaged in a number of …
… The chapter on instinct posed a number of problems for Darwin. ‘I find my chapter on Instinct very …
… ). In addition to behaviour such as nest-building in birds, Darwin intended to discuss many other …
… celebrated as a classic example of divine design in nature. Darwin hypothesised that the instinct of …
… of construction as it took place in the hive. As with Darwin’s study of poultry and pigeons, …
… founder and president of the Apiarian Society, provided Darwin with information and specimens. His …
… For assistance with mathematical measurements and geometry, Darwin called upon William Hallowes …
… from the Beagle voyage; on his brother, Erasmus Alvey Darwin; and his son William. Even his …
… bees and bee-hives. Variation and reversion Darwin also continued the botanical work …
… of smaller genera? The inquiry was of great importance to Darwin, for such evidence would support …
… for on this view wherever many closely related species, (i.e. species of the same genus) have been …
… of the statistics was still problematic. Hooker thought that Darwin was wrong to assume that …
… were not certain. This was a question new to the experts. Darwin was delighted to hear from Asa Gray …
… words has been questioned by John L. Brooks and by H. Lewis McKinney, both of whom believe that …
… is whether the rag is worth anything?’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 2 June [1859] ). But as critical …
… this Essay & that you were the man.’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 28 December [1859] ). …
… it is impossible that men like Lyell, Hooker, Huxley, H. C. Watson, Ramsay &c would change their …
… inherited his illhealth revived as first Henrietta and then Elizabeth and Leonard suffered similar …
… much more larky since we run two horses’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 6 October [1858] ). Visitors to …

Darwin in letters, 1856-1857: the 'Big Book'

Summary

In May 1856, Darwin began writing up his 'species sketch’ in earnest. During this period, his working life was completely dominated by the preparation of his 'Big Book', which was to be called Natural selection. Using letters are the main…

Matches: 27 hits

… On 14 May 1856, Charles Darwin recorded in his journal that he ‘Began by Lyell’s advice writing …
… more for the sake of priority than anything else—Darwin was reluctant to squeeze his expansive …
… Natural selection . Determined as he was to publish, Darwin nevertheless still felt cautious …
… specialist in Madeiran entomology, Thomas Vernon Wollaston. Darwin also came to rely on the caustic …
… in London. Natural Selection Not all of Darwin’s manuscript on species has been …
… of pigeons, poultry, and other domesticated animals. As Darwin explained to Lyell, his studies, …
… can William Bernhard Tegetmeier continued to help Darwin acquire much of the material for …
… on domestic animals in India and elsewhere. William Darwin Fox supplied information about cats, dogs …
… mastiffs. The disparate facts were correlated and checked by Darwin, who adroitly used letters, …
… can.’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 8 February [1857] ). Darwin also attempted to test ideas …
… garden species with their wild congeners. Many of Darwin’s conclusions about the variation of …
… these chapters are not extant. It seems likely that Darwin used the manuscript when compiling The …
… or lost during the process. Before the publication of Darwin's correspondence from these years, …
… light on the role that these ideas were intended to play in Darwin’s formal exposition. …
… selection could not act without varieties to act upon, Darwin wanted to know where, how, and in what …
… Making the fullest possible use of his botanical friends, Darwin cross-examined them on different …
… and conditions of existence? One useful example that Darwin intended to include in his book was the …
… relatives. But a last-minute check with Hooker revealed that Darwin was mistaken: ‘You have shaved …
… was wrong ( letter to John Lubbock, 14 July [1857] ). Darwin thought his results showed that …
… than relinquish the results achieved after so much effort, Darwin began the whole laborious project …
… Such perseverance is perhaps the key to this period in Darwin’s life. He brought the same quality of …
… This was the origin and function of sex in nature. Darwin had always been intrigued by the …
… must occasionally be cross-fertilised by other individuals. Darwin sought information on this …
… request led Huxley to make a note for future reference, ‘Darwin, an absolute & eternal …
… not give a categorical answer. Nor could the botanists that Darwin asked about plants whose flowers …
… bad & not a stop from beginning to end!’ (letters to W. E. Darwin, [17 February 1857] and …
… other than the one previously supposed. Charles and Mary Elizabeth Lyell certainly visited the …

Darwin in letters, 1861: Gaining allies

Summary

The year 1861 marked an important change in the direction of Darwin’s work. He had weathered the storm that followed the publication of Origin, and felt cautiously optimistic about the ultimate acceptance of his ideas. The letters from this year provide an…

Matches: 27 hits

… The year 1861 marked an important change in the direction of Darwin’s work. By then, he had …
… propagation, hybridism, and other phenomena that, as Darwin said in his Autobiography , he had …
… provide an unusually detailed and intimate understanding of Darwin’s problem-solving method of work …
… 1860 that a new edition of Origin was called for, Darwin took the opportunity to include in the …
… of natural selection. With this work behind him, Darwin took steps to convince those who …
… ( letter to Asa Gray, 26–7 Februrary [1861] ). Darwin drew up a carefully thought-out list of …
… pamphlet (see Correspondence vol. 9, Appendix III). However, Darwin himself remained unconvinced by …
… began to decline later in the year, scientific interest in Darwin’s views continued unabated and …
… the third edition and the comments of naturalists with whom Darwin corresponded, showed that a …
… the theory of natural selection for their particular fields. Darwin relished these explorations, …
… the Zoologist by George Maw, for example, singled out Darwin’s explanation of the numerous …
… remained notable instances of design in nature. Although Darwin, in his subsequent correspondence …
… letter to Charles Lyell, 20 July [1861] ). One reason for Darwin’s interest in this piece may have …
… and embryological relationships between organisms. Darwin also found the review by the young …
… ( see second letter to J. D. Hooker, 23 [April 1861] ). Darwin continued to stress to his …
… Gaining allies It is not surprising, then, that Darwin was pleased that the methodology …
… maintaining that nature offered more evidence of design than Darwin was willing to admit. With the …
… Botany, simple geology & palæontology.' Moreover, Darwin found an important …
… where Nature manufactures her new species’ ( letter from H. W. Bates, 28 March [1861] ). …
… enemies from which the other set is free’ ( letter from H. W. Bates, 30 September 1861 ). As Peter …
… valuable contribution to Nat. History.—’ ( letter to H. W. Bates, 4 April [1861] ). He also …
… and ‘Monkeys,—our poor cousins.—’ ( letter to H. W. Bates, 3 December [1861] ). Darwin volunteered …
… obtaining ‘large distribution’ for the work ( letter to H. W. Bates, 25 September [1861] ). …
… producing ‘a complete and awful smasher’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 January [1861] ). Ever since …
… would so ‘be at once an almost rich man’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, [26 May 1861] ). The …
… for ever since the death of their eldest daughter, Anne Elizabeth , in 1851 (see Correspondence …
… respectable persons on your own account’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 17 [October 1861] ). He also …

Darwin in letters, 1847-1850: Microscopes and barnacles

Summary

Darwin's study of barnacles, begun in 1844, took him eight years to complete. The correspondence reveals how his interest in a species found during the Beagle voyage developed into an investigation of the comparative anatomy of other cirripedes and…

Matches: 23 hits

… Species theory In November 1845, Charles Darwin wrote to his friend and confidant Joseph …
… and Fossil Cirripedia (1851, 1854). What led Darwin to engage in this work when he was …
… group. Light is shed on the close relationship between Darwin’s systematic descriptive work and the …
… often frustrating taxonomical maze. Throughout these years, Darwin was also struggling with a …
… explained in detail in letters to friends and relatives, Darwin felt sufficiently restored in health …
… Nevertheless, it is evident from his correspondence that Darwin’s two hours at the microscope did …
… Phillips, and Daniel Sharpe, demonstrating the extent of Darwin’s continued involvement in …
… and naturalists, most notably James Dwight Dana, Henry Darwin Rogers, and Bernhard Studer, and the …
… In the midst of all this activity, Hooker responds to Darwin’s particular queries and sends …
… British government in scientific research during the period. Darwin also contributed to these …
… scientific work of naval officers and travellers in general. Darwin was asked by the editor, Sir …
… to J. F. W. Herschel, 4 February [1848] ). Letters between Darwin and Richard Owen, author of the …
… zoology between them. Owen included in his chapter notes by Darwin on the use of microscopes on …
… the leading questions and wide views spelt out by Darwin in the Admiralty Manual are also those …
… Inverness, in which he maintained that the terraces, which Darwin believed to be of marine origin, …
… of Glen Roy had produced a lake and the consequent beaches. Darwin carefully re-examined his own …
… editor of the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal , Darwin asked for it to be destroyed. Only the …
… ). Other letters to colleagues at this time indicate that Darwin was beginning to feel that the Glen …
… 8 [September 1847] ). The second geological theory Darwin felt the need to defend had to do …
… that only a great rush of water could carry them up hills. Darwin’s response was to explain such …
… both had served ( Correspondence vol. 2, letters to H. E. Strickland). Darwin’s task was …
… the rule of priority for the sake of expedience ( letter to H. E. Strickland, [4 February 1849] ), …
… easily able to support a large family (three more children, Elizabeth , Francis, and Leonard, were …

Darwin Correspondence Project

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