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2.16 Horace Montford statue, Shrewsbury

Summary

< Back to Introduction Horace Montford’s statue of Darwin, installed in his birthplace, Shrewsbury, in 1897, is one of the finest of the commemorative portrayals of him. Up to that time, the only memorial to Darwin in the town was a wall tablet of…

Matches: 24 hits

… < Back to Introduction Horace Montford’s statue of Darwin, installed in his birthplace …
… portrayals of him. Up to that time, the only memorial to Darwin in the town was a wall tablet of …
… proposal, and in 1893–1894 another project for a statue of Darwin came to nothing, due to a …
… ago by the public at large’ in commissioning a statue of Darwin, to be unveiled at the time of the …
… of world power and of unrivalled intellectual achievement. Darwin in particular was internationally …
… general committee for November 1896 reveal that the sculptor Horace Montford, who was born near …
… 1897, at a ceremony attended by Joseph Hooker and by two of Darwin’s sons, William and George, as …
… . Hooker, the ‘accomplished disciple and dear friend of Darwin’, spoke, with emotion, about the …
… a local man. It is an impressive and sympathetic likeness of Darwin in old age, in the creation of …
… of his subject. The hands were modelled from those of George Darwin, as most nearly resembling his …
… that had initially been directed at Boehm’s treatment of Darwin’s hands in the Natural History …
… barnacles, orchids and other plants and insects in which Darwin was interested. The winged suns …
… erected in the forecourt of the old Shrewsbury school which Darwin had attended as a boy – but by …
… the bold and controversial decision to place the statue of Darwin, which is raised on a high granite …
… recalled the Bishop of Hereford’s remark in 1896 ‘that Darwin was ordained one of the doorkeepers in …
… to them new vistas’ of scientific knowledge. William Darwin in his speech at the unveiling ceremony …
… he had received at Shrewsbury school. While Horace Montford was working on the Shrewsbury …
… son Paul Raphael Montford produced a spirited portrait of Darwin in the form of a chalk sketch, …
… dignified prototypes, but the facial expression he gives to Darwin irreverently borders on …
… holder unknown   originator of image Horace Montford   date of creation 1896 …
… granite. Inscribed on the front of the pedestal, ‘DARWIN 1809 1882’; on the right edge of the bronze …
… June 1897), p. 10; (13 August 1897), pp. 5–7. ‘Proposed Darwin memorial at Shrewsbury’, Times …
… (11 August 1897), p. 8. ‘A memorial statue of Charles Darwin’, Manchester Guardian (11 August …
… lists Montford as exhibiting a ‘Model of the Statue of Darwin’ at the exhibition of 1898 (no. 1815). …

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: 17 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 …
… 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 …
… the veteran of Modern Zoology’, but it was in Germany that Darwin was most fêted. A German …
… with Charles Darwin and Ernst Haeckel. Kosmos was, as Francis Darwin reported from Germany that …
… the children correctly’, mentioning in particular that Francis Galton was the son of one of Erasmus …
… to contradict false statements that had been published by Francis Galton’s aunt, Mary Anne …
… for Captain Robert FitzRoy on the Beagle voyage, Francis Beaufort of the Admiralty described the …
… objection to the engagement between his daughter Ida and Horace Darwin. This was all the more …
… at the Farrers’ home, Abinger Hall, on several occasions. Horace had first approached Farrer to …
… Farrer’s objection was based on his impression of Horace ’s poor health and lack of profession, and …
… reported, because Darwin told Farrer ‘a great deal about Horace that he did not know, especially …

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: 17 hits

… Below is a list of Darwin's correspondents with the number of letters for each one. …
… G. E. (1) Beaufort, Francis (5) …
… Boole, M. E. (3) Boott, Francis (7) …
… Dareste, Camille (9) Darwin family (1) …
… Darwin, Emma (191) Darwin, Francis (287) …
… Darwin, H. E. (60) Darwin, Horace (30) …
… Everest, Robert (1) Ewbank, Francis (1) …
… Fox, W. D. (225) Francis, George (1) …
… Galton, Erasmus (1) Galton, Francis (118) …
… Archibald (1) Lloyd, Francis (1) …
… Parker, Charles (2) Parker, Francis (1) …
… Peacock, George (2) Pearce, Horace (1) …
… Walford, Edward (2) Walker, Francis (6) …
… George (2) Warner, Francis (1) …
… F. M. (2) Wedgwood, Francis (4) …
… (2) Wemyss-Charteris-Douglas, Francis (1) …
… White, Adam (2) White, Francis Buchanan (3) …

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: 23 hits

… lessen injury to leaves from radiation In 1878, Darwin devoted most of his attention to …
… organs in this process. Working closely with his son Francis , Darwin devised a series of experiments …
… of most advanced plant laboratories in Europe. While Francis was away, Darwin delighted in …
… 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 …
… (see Movement in plants , pp. 112–13). He explained to Francis on 2 July : ‘I go on maundering …
… 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 …
… out that he missed sensitiveness of apex’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, [11 May 1878] ). …
… moisture, and various chemical and nutritive substances, Darwin next considered sound. He explained …
… the bassoon & apparently more by a high than a low note.’ Francis apparently played the musical …
… ill-luck to them, are not sensitive to aerial vibrations’, Darwin complained. ‘I am ashamed at my …
… exchanged when they were apart. At the start of June, Francis left to work at Sach’s laboratory in …
… ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 18 June [1878] ). While Francis was away, Darwin sent regular …
… not easily be obtained at Down House, but Francis thought Horace ’s abilities were a match for German …
… the one here is far from well made.’ (Jemmy or Jim was Horace ’s nickname.) Francis was …

Darwin in letters, 1881: Old friends and new admirers

Summary

In May 1881, Darwin, one of the best-known celebrities in England if not the world, began writing about all the eminent men he had met. He embarked on this task, which formed an addition to his autobiography, because he had nothing else to do. He had…

Matches: 22 hits

… In May 1881, Darwin, one of the best-known celebrities in England if not the world, began …
… a very old man, who probably will not last much longer.’ Darwin’s biggest fear was not death, but …
… sweetest place on this earth’. From the start of the year, Darwin had his demise on his mind. He …
… provision for the dividing of his wealth after his death. Darwin’s gloominess was compounded by the …
… and new admirers got in touch, and, for all his fears, Darwin found several scientific topics to …
… Evolution old and new when revising his essay on Erasmus Darwin’s scientific work, and that Darwin …
… memory in November 1880 and in an abusive letter about Darwin in the St James’s Gazette on 8 …
… in a review of Unconscious memory in Kosmos and sent Darwin a separate letter for …
… Butler wished to boast publicly that his quarrel was with Darwin, agreed. Unsure how to address …
… gone mad on such a small matter’. The following day, Darwin himself wrote to Stephen, admitting that …
… of the false accusation’. Other friends rallied round. Francis Balfour translated Krause’s account …
… had been a major undertaking for both Darwin and his son Francis , who assisted in the many …
… of their behaviour were trustworthy ( letter to Francis Galton, 8 March [1881] ). Although results …
… July, sending the pages to Germany for further checks by Francis Darwin, who was spending the summer …
… Ruskin, who lived there. Sending the last two chapters to Francis on 27 May , Darwin wrote, …
… to begin any new subject requiring much work’, he told Francis Darwin on 30 May . ‘I have been …
… case.’ An additional motivation may have been to support Francis Darwin’s published research on …
… Darwin tried a variety of plants and reagents, telling Francis on 17 October , ‘I have wasted …
… up the job; but I cannot endure to do this’, Darwin told Francis on 9 November , and writing …
… was the progress of his sons’ careers. The success of Horace ’s recently established Cambridge …
… the help of Lord Rayleigh, George Darwin, and Horace Darwin—the task of defending Darwin’s arguments …
… grandson, was born in Cambridge. His parents, Ida and Horace Darwin, named him Erasmus in honour of …

1879 Letters now online

Summary

In 1879, Darwin continued his research on movement in plants and researched, wrote, and published a short biography of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin as an introduction to a translation of an essay by Ernst Krause on Erasmus’s scientific work. Darwin’s son…

Matches: 11 hits

… In 1879, Darwin continued his research on movement in plants and researched, wrote, and published a …
… most of August on holiday in the Lake District. In October, Darwin’s youngest son, Horace , became …
… December [1879] ) In early 1879, as a tribute on Darwin’s 70th birthday, the editor of …
… until the preface was longer than the translated article. Darwin contacted cousins, sent his sons to …
… little book, with low but respectable sales, and Darwin was relieved to hear that his friends …
… sense & not to professional advisors . ( Letter to the Darwin children, 21 February 1879 ) …
… for receiving certain irritations ( Letter t o Francis Darwin, 2 July [1879] ) …
… 23 October 1879 ) During the year Darwin continued his support for other workers in …
… of the politicians seemed to be elsewhere. Horace has as sweet a temper & as …
… ( Letter to T. H. Farrer, 13 October 1879 ) Darwin wrote this to his son Horace ’s …
… his opposition to the match between his daughter, Ida, and Horace . The two families had known each …

Movement in Plants

Summary

The power of movement in plants, published on 7 November 1880, was the final large botanical work that Darwin wrote. It was the only work in which the assistance of one of his children, Francis Darwin, is mentioned on the title page. The research for this…

Matches: 19 hits

… 7 November 1880, was the final large botanical work that Darwin wrote. It was the only work in which …
… about their research while he was away from home. Although Darwin lacked a state of the art research …
… research being pursued by other naturalists who, like Francis , had come to this centre for the study …
… methods and use the most advanced laboratory equipment. Darwin also benefitted from the instrument …
… plant physiology, but it was at its core informed by Darwin’s theory of evolution, particularly by …
… early 1860s, at a time when his health was especially bad, Darwin had taken up the study of climbing …
… reproduced as a small book, giving it a much wider audience. Darwin was not the first naturalist to …
… which eventually appeared in 1875. In the same year, Darwin published a much longer work, …
… about the nature of movement, so much so, that at one point Darwin had considered combining the …
… digestive processes. With his final great botanical work, Darwin would attempt ‘ to bring all the …
… emotions had their origins in non-human animal expression. Darwin had not done experimental work in …
… viewed the division between animals and plants as absolute, Darwin was interested in similarities. …
… become adapted to perform new functions, like climbing? For Darwin, physiology was a way of seeing …
… attracting students from all over Europe and beyond. When Darwin’s son Francis worked in this …
… off as completely as possible ’. He had also asked Horace to discuss the point with his friend …
… of any success. '. Just two months later, Darwin put Francis in charge of this aspect of the …
… more familiar with the research in Sachs’s laboratory as Francis ’s departure for Würzburg was …
… made ’. Jemmy (a nickname for Darwin’s youngest son Horace ) did, indeed, design an improved version …
… but a version of it was made by Darwin’s youngest son Horace , who also made an improved version of …

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: 23 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 …
… 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 …
… imposter’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 27 January 1874 ). Darwin agreed that it was ‘all imposture’ …
… stop word getting to America of the ‘strange news’ that Darwin had allowed ‘a spirit séance’ at his …
… were family affairs. Coral reefs His son Horace had suggested a new edition of the …
… had cost twenty-four shillings.) Murray’s partner, Robert Francis Cooke, informed Darwin that the …
… were also doing well. Despite ill health, his youngest son Horace began the year by taking the …
… without being bad & have done pretty well’ ( letter to Horace Darwin, 9 January [1874] ). …
… Kent. After a month’s trial Darwin wrote to the firm about Horace ’s illness: ‘My son is most …
… (see G. B. Airy ed. 1881). Darwin’s third son Francis married Amy Ruck, the sister of a …
… work on insectivorous plants. Amy drew a plant and Francis was disappointed that they seemed not to …
… from Cornwall, but Darwin was unwell when it arrived, so Francis worked on the tiny bladders under …
… 1874 , and Correspondence vol. 21, letter from Francis Darwin, [11 October 1873] ). …
… work’ ( letter to D. F. Nevill, 18 September [1874] ).Francis ’s new wife, Amy, drew the plant ( …

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: 24 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 …
… received a special acknowledgment in the form of a gift. Darwin credited her for whatever he had …
… liberal or orthodox. The American philosopher and journalist Francis Ellingwood Abbot incorporated …
… man & we were the best of friends’, he wrote to his son Francis on 28 February . However, …
… Darwin had been receiving regular reports from his cousin Francis Galton on the progress of …
… in order to facilitate cross-circulation ( letter from Francis Galton, 13 September 1871 ). …
… now left the family home. The Darwins' youngest son, Horace , entered Cambridge …
… to pursue studies in mathematics and science ( letter to Horace Darwin, [15 December 1871] ). …
… of Trinity College, planned a trip to America, and invited Francis and two Cambridge friends. Darwin …
… be almost superhuman virtue to give it up’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, 16 May [1871] ). Darwin …

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: 20 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 …
… the first member of the next generation of the family, with Francis and Amy’s child expected in …
… four days later. ‘I cannot bear to think of the future’, Darwin confessed to William on 11 …
… once, the labour of checking proofs proved a blessing, as Darwin sought solace for the loss of his …
… had involved much time and effort the previous year, and Darwin clearly wanted to focus his …
… When Smith, Elder and Company proposed reissuing two of Darwin’s three volumes of the geology of …
… 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 …
… Darwin reassured his close friend Joseph Hooker that he and Francis would attend the meeting. Darwin …
… subject takes an opposite line’. Although he conceded that Francis had the best of an argument with …
… to propose the young rising star of Cambridge morphology, Francis Maitland Balfour, for fellowship …
… of the earliest available commercial models of typewriter. Francis Darwin and his wife, Amy, …
… for the real machine.’ It was the mechanically minded Horace , however, who was the first to type a …
… it is. ’ After describing how you ‘ play on keys ’, Horace pointed out that in less than a day he …
… to present it to the Royal Society. He was pleased that Horace was off to Birmingham to lecture to …

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: 21 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 …
… think I must pay a round of visits.’ One cousin, Reginald Darwin, warmed to George: ‘he had been …
… an ordinary mortal who could laugh’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin to Charles and Emma Darwin, 22 July …
… Mr Butler whatever.’ Power of movement With Francis ’s assistance, the last of Darwin’s …
… of the nervous system, and the nature of ‘sensitivity’. Francis Balfour described Movement in …
… the intake of stones and flints to aid digestion. He asked Francis to check for castings on old …
… While on honeymoon with his new wife, Ida, in the Alps, Horace spotted worms at high elevations, …
… saw a steam tram—imagine my excitement’ ( letter from Horace Darwin to Emma Darwin, [18 September …
… rightly thought the ‘queer subject’ of interest to Francis Galton, who had already taken thumb …
… extending the study to public-school pupils ( letter to Francis Galton, 7 April 1880 , and …
… William’s interest in geology, and longed to see Francis elected fellow of the Royal Society. He …

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: 23 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 …
… 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 …
… in animals. The subject was brought closer to home by Francis Galton’s work on inherited talent, …
… 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, …
… Poisons and electrocution . . . His son Francis was assisting the histologist Edward Emanuel …
… of medical research in London. On the advice of Klein, Francis obtained a new microscope for his …
… guide to animal experimentation that Klein had co-authored. Darwin contacted two of the Handbook …
… London, and director of the Brown Institution. Darwin sent an abstract of his preliminary …
… on botany, he drew more on assistance from his son Francis . While visiting his fiancée, Amy Ruck, in …
… notes and take tracings of their burrows” ( letter from Francis Darwin, 14 August [1873] ). …
… [1873] ). Shortly afterwards, it was arranged for Francis to rent a house in the village (Down …
… for his children’s health. He wrote to George and Horace (who was also often sickly), “you both my …

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 …
… be sold’. His publisher knew from previous experience that Darwin was a poor judge of sales, and …
… after completing his manuscript of Forms of flowers , Darwin took up the problem of ‘bloom’ in …
… characteristic whose purpose was little understood. Darwin had begun studying bloom in August 1873, …
… In the end, Darwin did not publish on the subject, but Francis later reported some of the results of …
… 25 August 1877 ). At Down House, Darwin and Francis devised a method of recording leaf …
… with thread, card, and bits of glass. Encouraging Francis Darwin greatly enjoyed …
… eminent German botanist Ferdinand Julius Cohn, who confirmed Francis ’s observations: ‘the most …
… Infusoria’ ( letter from F. J. Cohn, 5 August 1877 ). Francis ’s paper eventually appeared in the …
… had visited Down House and become friendly with George and Francis . He wrote to Francis on 24 …
… made the journey along with Emma. George, Francis , and Horace also attended. The ceremony was held …
… that had gradually sunk from the burrowing of worms. Horace started building a ‘wormograph’ to …
… buried ( letter from Francis Darwin, [28 October 1877?] ). Horace went with Francis to examine the …

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 …
… 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 …
… 19 March [1869] ). Towards Descent Once Darwin had completed revisions of the …
… and overseas. The dog-breeder George Cupples worked hard on Darwin’s behalf, sending a steady stream …
… of concern were received for months afterwards. Francis Galton: Hereditary genius and …
… Emma read aloud from a new book by Darwin’s half-cousin, Francis Galton. The work, Hereditary …
… is an eminently important difference’ ( letter to Francis Galton, 23 December [1869] ). …
… of inheritance through experiments on rabbits ( letter from Francis Galton, 11 December 1869 ). …
… the first to give me freedom of thought’ ( letter from Francis Galton, 24 December 1869 ). …

Referencing women’s work

Summary

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: 15 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 …
… baby in Mary Barton. Letter 8321 - Darwin to Litchfield, H. E., [13 May …
… Darwin, [4 January 1871] Darwin’s brother-in-law, Francis Wedgwood, sends the results of …
… Darwin, H., [1 November 1877] Darwin asks his sons, Horace and Francis , to observe …
… - Darwin, H. to Darwin, [7 October 1880] Horace writes to his father with information …
… St Tibbs Row. Darwin proudly referenced the work of "My son Horace " in Vegetable Mould …

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: 13 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 …
… . Letter 5745 - Barber, M. E. to Darwin, [after February 1867] Mary Barber …
… Letter 6535 - Vaughan Williams , M. S. to Darwin, H. E., [after 14 October 1869] …
… on furrows and earthworm activity to her brother-in-law, Horace . She has dug a number of trenches, …
… Darwin, [9 January 1871] Darwin’s brother-in-law, Francis , reports on the appearance and …
… tells her eldest son, William, that her third eldest son, Francis , is receiving help with his plant …
… February 1857] Darwin’s nephew, Edmund, writes to Francis with the results of his …
… in his home. Letter 10517 - Darwin to Francis , F., [29 May 1876] Darwin …
… Letter 10517 - Darwin t o Francis , F., [29 May 1876] Darwin gives his son, Francis …

The "wicked book": Origin at 157

Summary

Origin is 157 years old. (Probably) the most famous book in science was published on 24 November 1859. To celebrate we have uploaded hundreds of new images of letters, bringing the total number you can look at here to over 9000 representing more than…

Matches: 7 hits

… book appeared. You can now see examples of letters to Darwin from nearly 250 different people, and …
… Lyell , and Joseph Hooker , the two men who arranged for Darwin’s and Wallace’s ideas to be made …
… Asa Gray who was an important sounding board for Darwin’s emerging ideas, and Thomas Huxley …
… scrap from 1857 comparing his views on species to Darwin’s. Others, like Hugh Falconer , …
… the less well-known scientific collaborators who became Darwin's correspondents, Mary Treat …
… several of their children: William, George, Henrietta , Francis , Leonard, and Horace . Francis …
… of water thrown over me on rising William Darwin Fox , Charles’s cousin and another …

Casting about: Darwin on worms

Summary

Earthworms were the subject of a citizen science project to map the distribution of earthworms across Britain (BBC Today programme, 26 May 2014). The general understanding of the role earthworms play in improving soils and providing nutrients for plants to…

Matches: 13 hits

… for plants to flourish can be traced back to the last book Darwin wrote, snappily-titled The …
… on their habits, which was published in 1881. Despite Darwin’s fears that a book on earthworms might …
… out in his Natural History of Selborne of 1789 (a book Darwin claimed had ‘much influence on my …
… a new field in natural history, and almost a century later Darwin argued that all fields had passed …
… variety of strange things he persuaded people to do. Darwin concluded that worms had no sense …
… of a metal whistle and to being shouted at, but also to Francis Darwin playing the bassoon, and to …
… traces of earthworm activity at Stonehenge , and Horace was later charged with making sure that 18 …
… made calculations about larger castings on poorer soils, and Francis helped with calculations …
… . After a while, looking for earthworm casts became a habit; Francis noticed worm casts in fir woods …
… existence of worms at that altitude. By the 1870s, Darwin was also drawing on the work of …
… him. Soon worm excrement was trusted to postal services, and Darwin acquired casts from India and …
… observations he had gathered to write a book on the subject. Darwin brought to the topic the …
… bigger souls than anyone wd suppose’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 31 January [1881] (CUL DAR 210.6: …

Darwin in letters, 1875: Pulling strings

Summary

‘I am getting sick of insectivorous plants’, Darwin confessed in January 1875. He had worked on the subject intermittently since 1859, and had been steadily engaged on a book manuscript for nine months; January also saw the conclusion of a bitter dispute…

Matches: 26 hits

… Editions Plants always held an important place in Darwin’s theorising about species, and …
… his periods of severe illness. Yet on 15 January 1875 , Darwin confessed to his close friend …
… way to continuous writing and revision, activities that Darwin found less gratifying: ‘I am slaving …
… bad.’ The process was compounded by the fact that Darwin was also revising another manuscript …
… coloured stamens.’ At intervals during the year, Darwin was diverted from the onerous task of …
… zoologist St George Jackson Mivart. In April and early May, Darwin was occupied with a heated …
… chapter of the controversy involved a slanderous attack upon Darwin’s son George, in an anonymous …
… on 12 January , breaking off all future communication. Darwin had been supported during the affair …
… Society of London, and a secretary of the Linnean Society, Darwin’s friends had to find ways of …
… pp. 16–17). ‘How grandly you have defended me’, Darwin wrote on 6 January , ‘You have also …
… in public. ‘Without cutting him direct’, he advised Darwin on 7 January , ‘I should avoid him, …
… & again’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 16 January 1875 ). Darwin had also considered taking up …
… , ‘I feel now like a pure forgiving Christian!’ Darwin’s ire was not fully spent, however, …
… in the same Quarterly article that attacked George. Darwin raised the matter at the end of the …
… to rest, another controversy was brewing. In December 1874, Darwin had been asked to sign a memorial …
… Hensleigh and Frances Wedgwood. She had corresponded with Darwin about the evolution of the moral …
… Darwin had become acquainted with Klein when his son Francis was studying medicine in London. Klein …
… performed on animals in previous years by Darwin’s cousin Francis Galton. These had been …
… manuscripts and proofs, Darwin now relied heavily on his son Francis , who had made the decision in …
… wrote, ‘I beg ten thousand pardon & more’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, [ c . February 1875?] …
… plants , and moved on to Variation 2d ed., Francis signed himself, ‘Your affect son … the …
… of seeds, using an instrument designed by his brother Horace , who was doing an apprenticeship at an …
… by the device, remarking to Hooker on 13 October : ‘Horace has made a hygrometer with a bit of …
… 219.1: 89). The most eminent of Darwin’s guests was Francis , duke of Teck, a German prince …
… Darwin could not keep up, and on 22 July , he had Francis reply: ‘My Father desires me to say …
… on 2 December, the same meeting at which Romanes and Francis Darwin were made fellows. But Thiselton …

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: 25 hits

… The year 1870 is aptly summarised by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The whole of 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 …
… Finishing Descent; postponing Expression Darwin began receiving proofs of some of the …
… ( letter to Albert Günther, 13 January [1870] ). Darwin was still working hard on parts of the …
… 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 …
… have thought that I shd. turn parson?’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] ). Henrietta …
… so unimportant as the mind of man!’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [after 8 February 1870] ). …
… philanthropist Frances Power Cobbe. At Cobbe’s suggestion, Darwin read some of Immanuel Kant’s …
… ( letter to F. P. Cobbe, 23 March [1870?] ). Cobbe accused Darwin of smiling in his beard with …
… as animals: ears Despite Cobbe’s plea, most of Darwin’s scientific attention in 1870 was …
… fairy in Shakespeare’s A midsummer night’s dream. Darwin obtained a sketch of a human ear from …
… of a pointed tip projecting inward from the folded margin. Darwin, who had posed for the sculptor in …
… this volume, letter to Thomas Woolner, 10 March [1870] ). Darwin included Woolner’s sketch in …
… muscles A more troubling anatomical feature for Darwin was the platysma myoides, a band of …
… furrows radiating on the side of the neck of his son Francis when he was playing the flute. …
… Darwin received a string of letters from his cousin Francis Galton, reporting on his efforts to …
… by breaking adjacent veins into one’ ( letter from Francis Galton, 25 June 1870 ). Occasionally …
… the latest litters has a white forefoot’ ( letter from Francis Galton, 12 May 1870 ). But in …
… it is puzzle enough in every case whatever; & what our Boy Horace is to do, I know no more than …
… him to have private instruction in mathematics. He wrote to Horace ’s tutor at Trinity to request …
… an old fellow as I daresay I appear to you Francis completed his studies at Cambridge, …
… an old fellow as I daresay I appear to you’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, 18 October [1870] ). …

Darwin Correspondence Project

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