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3.8 Leonard Darwin, interior photo

Summary

< Back to Introduction Leonard Darwin, who created the distinctive image of his father sitting on the verandah at Down House, also portrayed him as a melancholy philosopher. His head, brightly lit from above, emerges from the enveloping darkness; he…

Matches: 11 hits

… < Back to Introduction Leonard Darwin, who created the distinctive image of his father …
… is here an obvious relationship to Ouless’s painting of Darwin, and to the photographs taken by …
… on a boy’s mind?’ This was written as late as 1929, when Leonard was himself nearly eighty, but it …
… descriptions of him. At the same time, photographs of Darwin taken by his family and friends have an …
… Magazine. Desmond and Moore, in their biography of Darwin, captioned it ‘about 1874’, while …
… would need to have been early in that year. A letter which Leonard wrote to his father from Brompton …
… (unspecified, and now absent) might refer to the portrait of Darwin, although a pencilled note on …
… he took it in 1878. It was this photograph which Leonard himself sent to Anthony Rich, a …
… and illustrator, created a bold wood-engraved image of Darwin’s head and shoulders from Leonard ’s …
… this was for a wood engraving to illustrate an obituary of Darwin by Dr Otto Zacharias in the …
… portrait photograph ‘on china from the negative by Leonard Darwin’, lent to the 1909 exhibition by …

3.7 Leonard Darwin, photo on verandah

Summary

< Back to Introduction Like the anonymous photograph of Darwin on horseback in front of Down House, Leonard Darwin’s photograph of him sitting in a wicker chair on the verandah was originally just a family memento. However, as Darwin’s high…

Matches: 13 hits

… to Introduction Like the anonymous photograph of Darwin on horseback in front of Down …
… entered the public sphere. Thus a wood engraving of Leonard Darwin’s photograph featured in the …
… Alfred Russel Wallace’s article ‘The debt of science to Darwin’. Furthermore, Wallace’s article was …
… greenhouses and paths – as the essential context of Darwin’s hallowed endeavours: his ‘loving, …
… scatter of shapes seen through the drawing-room window in Leonard ’s photograph, giving a stronger …
… to the frontispiece and in his catalogue of portraits of Darwin, Francis Darwin tentatively dated …
… Julius Bryant. However, John van Wyhe proposes 1878, as Emma Darwin’s diary records that Leonard …
… and perhaps not entirely fortuitous resemblance between Leonard ’s photograph of his father and …
… all attention directed to the subject’s characterful head. Darwin sits in his habitual pose – hands …
… as the main source for Boehm’s commemorative portrayal of Darwin in the marble statue installed in …
… University of Turin. physical location Darwin archive, Cambridge University Library …
… Library   originator of image Leonard Darwin   date of creation not …
… Century Magazine , 25:3 (Jan. 1883), with a facsimile of Darwin’s signature, and signed by the …

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: 21 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 …
… 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 …
… ). The masters of Greiz College in Thuringia venerated Darwin as ‘the deep thinker’, while …
… accepted in Germany. ‘On this festive day’, Haeckel told Darwin, ‘you can look back, with justified …
… Hermann Müller wrote on 12 February to wish Darwin a ‘long and serene evening of life’. This …
… 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 …
… and poet’ ( Correspondence vol. 1, letter from Francis Beaufort to Robert FitzRoy, 1 September …
… it ‘very dull,—almost too dull to publish’, while Leonard Darwin considered that insufficient …
… ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1879 , and letter from Leonard Darwin, [before 12 July] 1879 …
… Darwin found the inn ‘ very comfortable’, but told Leonard Darwin on 12 August that there …

3.9 Leonard Darwin, photo on horseback

Summary

< Back to Introduction It is so rare to encounter an image of Darwin in a specific locale that a family photograph of him riding his horse Tommy takes on a special interest. He is at the front of Down House, the door of which is open; it seems as…

Matches: 12 hits

… It is so rare to encounter an image of Darwin in a specific locale that a family photograph of him …
… evidently moved his head during the exposure. According to Darwin’s biographers, Desmond and Moore, …
… it was apparently not circulated outside the family during Darwin’s lifetime. When shown in the …
… The fact that the photograph was lent to the exhibition by Darwin’s son William suggested to Janet …
… and John van Wyhe state that the photograph was taken by Leonard Darwin, who often photographed his …
… of the race’. Henrietta recalled in Emma Darwin: A Century of Family Letters, ‘My …
… on Tommy’s fate thereafter. It is known, however, that Darwin himself was very solicitous over the …
… pleasing traits in his character’. On his home turf, Darwin persuaded the RSPCA to prosecute a man …
… horses’ necks were ‘badly galled’, saying that he, Darwin, must and would intervene again, ‘for the …
… originator of image unknown: assumed to be Leonard Darwin   date of creation unknown (c …
… print   references and bibliography Darwin’s draft letter to a local farmer, c.1866, about …
… (London: Richard Bentley & Son, 1894), vol. 2, p. 124. Darwin Centenary: The Portraits, Prints …

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: 20 hits

… Below is a list of Darwin's correspondents with the number of letters for each one. …
… G. E. (1) Beaufort, Francis (5) …
… Octavian (3) Blomefield, Leonard (42) …
… Boole, M. E. (3) Boott, Francis (7) …
… Dareste, Camille (9) Darwin family (1) …
… Darwin, Emma (191) Darwin, Francis (287) …
… Darwin, Horace (30) Darwin, Leonard (37) …
… Everest, Robert (1) Ewbank, Francis (1) …
… Fox, W. D. (225) Francis, George (1) …
… Galton, Erasmus (1) Galton, Francis (118) …
… Horner, K. M. (5) Horner, Leonard (13) …
… Jenyns, G. L. (1) Jenyns, Leonard (42) …
… Archibald (1) Lloyd, Francis (1) …
… Parker, Charles (2) Parker, Francis (1) …
… Ruck, M. A. (2) Rudd, Leonard (2) …
… 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) …

Francis Galton

Summary

Galton was a naturalist, statistician, and evolutionary theorist. He was a second cousin of Darwin’s, having descended from his grandfather, Erasmus. Born in Birmingham in 1822, Galton studied medicine at King’s College, London, and also read mathematics…

Matches: 11 hits

… and evolutionary theorist. He was a second cousin of Darwin’s, having descended from his grandfather …
… a natural historical narrative of the journey (Galton 1853). Darwin enjoyed and admired Galton’s …
… Hereditary Genius (1869), which contained an entry on the Darwin family, including the “author of …
… for subjects of natural history”. Shortly after Darwin published his preliminary hypothesis …
… on rabbits to test the theory. He reported regularly to Darwin on these experiments, which involved …
… Royal Society claiming that his results tended to disprove Darwin’s theory (Galton 1871). This …
… 1871 ). His views on inheritance continued to diverge from Darwin’s, however. He studied cases of …
… Galton shared his views in several lengthy letters, but Darwin struggled with the abstract reasoning …
… and infirmities, with the aim of improving the population. Darwin was less optimistic about such a …
… ( 4 January [1873] ). Like most of his contemporaries, Darwin continued to believe in the …
… men of science: their nature and nurture (Galton 1874), Darwin insisted that he had no particular …

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: 12 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 …
… whether worms possessed the power to lift a pavement. Leonard and George made calculations about …
… . 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, 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, …
… Just four days later, Darwin had the hard task of telling Leonard that Amy, after seeming to recover …
… not by hiding the pain of the situation, but by reminding Leonard of how much his friendship had …
… & a Prof. Romer came to lunch’, Emma Darwin reported to Leonard Darwin on 29 September (DAR 239 …

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 …
… had cost twenty-four shillings.) Murray’s partner, Robert Francis Cooke, informed Darwin that the …
… in sympathy: ‘If anybody tries that on with my boy Leonard the old wolf will shew all the fangs he …
… [1874] ). At the end of June, Darwin’s fourth son, Leonard , who had joined the Royal …
… son of the Astronomer Royal, George Biddell Airy, to help Leonard gain the commission ( …
… took twelve weeks aboard the immigrant ship Merope . Leonard joined a colourful collection of …
… (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, 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 more I can …
… of On the origin of species , intended to be Darwin’s last, and of Expression of the …
… books brought a strong if deceptive sense of a job now done: Darwin intended, he declared to Alfred …
… 27 July [1872] ). By the end of the year Darwin was immersed in two of the studies that …
… of books and papers, and the latter formed the subject of Darwin’s last book, The formation of …
… worms , published in the year before his death. Despite Darwin’s declared intention to take up new …
… begun many years before. In his private life also, Darwin was in a nostalgic frame of mind, …
… The last word on Origin The year opened with Darwin, helped by his eldest son William, …
… on 30 January , shortly after correcting the proofs, and Darwin’s concern for the consolidation of …
… and sixth editions were costly to incorporate, and despite Darwin’s best efforts, set the final …
… closely involved in every stage of publication of his books, Darwin was keen to ensure that this …
… to bring out the new edition in the United States, Darwin arranged with Murray to have it …
… had to be reset. The investment in stereotype reinforced Darwin’s intention to make no further …
… A worsening breach The criticisms against which Darwin had taken the greatest trouble to …
… objections to the theory of natural selection’, Darwin refuted point by point assertions published …
… Although Mivart was among those who wrote in January to wish Darwin a happy new year, before the …
… critical and anonymously published review of Descent . Darwin’s supporters had rallied to his …
… The republication of Wright’s paper had been arranged by Darwin himself (see Correspondence vol. …
… so bigotted a person as I am made to appear’, complained Darwin ( letter to St G. J. Mivart, 5 …
… that he would willingly acknowledge himself at fault if only Darwin would renounce `fundamental …
… letter to St G. J. Mivart, 8 January [1872] ). Despite Darwin’s request that he drop the …
… ( letter from St G. J. Mivart, 10 January 1872 ). Darwin, determined to have the last word in …
… 11 January [1872] ). 'I hate controversy,’ Darwin wrote later in the year, possibly with this …
… drawings shortly afterwards ( letter from Samuel Butler to Francis Darwin, [before 30 May 1872] , …
… Darwin used his correspondence with Airy to support his son Leonard ’s application to join the …
… the claims of spiritualists, and Darwin, through his cousin Francis Galton, had with some interest …
… however, incorporated in the second edition, produced by Francis Darwin after his father’s death. …
… new name on the list of volunteers: by the beginning of May, Francis Darwin, the Darwins’ third son, …

Insectivorous plants

Summary

Darwin’s work on insectivorous plants began by accident. While on holiday in the summer of 1860, staying with his wife’s relatives in Hartfield, Sussex, he went for long walks on the heathland and became curious about the large number of insects caught by…

Matches: 23 hits

… Darwin’s work on insectivorous plants began by accident. While on holiday in …
… illness, probably typhoid fever. While caring for Etty, Darwin’s wife Emma wrote to a friend: …
… he hopes to end in proving it to be an animal.’ ( Emma Darwin 2: 177) By the end of August …
… In this song the lyrics are based on Darwin's statements about insectivorous plants in his …
… exchanging over twenty letters in the autumn of 1860 alone. Darwin started by asking Oliver to …
… as the Australian Drosera , and tried to reproduce Darwin’s results on the reaction of …
… certain nitrogenous compounds is marvellous. ’ Darwin turned his attention to the mechanism …
… viscid, dark red fluid. ’ By the end of November Darwin wrote to Charles Lyell: ‘ I will …
… of the Royal Society in February 1861 (Bonney 1919, p. 154), Darwin decided not to publish his …
… in Bournemouth in September 1862 for the sake of his son Leonard ’s and wife’s recovery from …
… analogous in constitution & function to nervous matter. ’ Darwin wrote to the surveyor Edward …
… plants for 10 years. Early in 1872, Asa Gray reminded Darwin ‘ pray don’t run off on some …
… about Drosera & Dionæa ’. By August and September, Darwin was ordering essential oils and …
… New Jersey with these remarkable observations and Darwin asked her to observe the North …
… sundew) . As part of his medical training, Darwin’s son Francis studied histology at the …
… performing comparative experiments on animals. After Darwin had sent Burdon Sanderson an abstract of …
… was so pleased with his results he excitedly telegraphed Darwin and presented them in paper to …
… Brown Institution’s staff, Thomas Lauder Brunton, assisted Darwin with the digestibility of chondrin …
… of Chemistry Edward Frankland supplied pure chemicals for Darwin’s study of digestion and …
… substance . After many careful experiments, in May 1874 Darwin proudly reported to his cousin …
… (the genus of tropical pitcher-plants) in parallel with Darwin’s study of Drosera and Dionaea …
… as your finger nail in 48 hours to lovely jelly ’, while Darwin could only reply: ‘ Poor Drosera …
… translation from the proof sheets, which Darwin’s son Francis corrected signing himself ‘ The …

Dining at Down House

Summary

Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment Dining, Digestion, and Darwin's Domestic Life While Darwin is best remembered for his scientific accomplishments, he greatly valued and was strongly influenced by his domestic life. Darwin's…

Matches: 14 hits

… Questions | Experiment Dining, Digestion, and Darwin's Domestic Life …
… chance for what share of happiness this world affords." ( Darwin to H.W. Bates , 26 …
… and they partook in his scientific endeavours. One of Darwin's defining characteristics …
… through his correspondence. Letters written to and from Darwin, as well as those exchanged between …
… provides into the bright and engaging personalities of the Darwin children and of family life in the …
… SOURCES Book Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species . 1859. London: John …
… Dining at Down House Letter 259 —Charles Darwin to Caroline Darwin, 13 October …
… South American cities, cultures, geography, flora and fauna) Darwin complains to his sister Caroline …
… while ill. Letter 465 —Emma Wedgwood (Emma Darwin) to Charles Darwin, [30 December 1838] …
… agreeable” for her sake. Letter 3626 —Emma Darwin to T. G. Appleton, 28 June [1862] …
… behalf to his American publisher, T. G. Appleton. Darwin, who is too ill to write himself, wishes to …
… cod liver oil and moderate work, among other things, for Darwin’s complaints. Emma Darwin …
… luncheon fare. Letter 8296 —Darwin to Francis Galton, 21 April [1872] In this …
… and is “absolutely gloating over puddings”. Leonard Darwin to George Darwin, 8 February …

Life of Erasmus Darwin

Summary

The Life of Erasmus Darwin (1879) was a curious departure for Darwin. It was intended as a biographical note to accompany an essay on Erasmus's scientific work by the German writer Ernst Krause. But Darwin became immersed in his grandfather's…

Matches: 18 hits

… scientific work by the German writer Ernst Krause. But Darwin became immersed in his grandfather& …
… his grandfather's mind and character. To compose the work, Darwin gathered materials and …
… book into grist for controversy. In February 1879, Darwin received an unusual birthday …
… an essay by Ernst Krause on the evolutionary ideas of Darwin's grandfather. Darwin was familiar …
… poems, The Botanic Garden and Temple of Nature . But Darwin had never known his grandfather, …
… in Darwinismus '; ' It piles up the glory and would please Francis '. Darwin' …
… 'men of science'. The biographical sketch was thus a way for Darwin to trace his own …
… character. Once a celebrated poet and philosopher, Erasmus Darwin's fame had declined sharply …
… wholly & shamefully ignorant of my grandfathers life ', Darwin wrote to Krause on 14 March …
… storehouse of private thoughts and experiences. Reading it, Darwin said, was like ' having …
… Priory where he resided at his death, both appeared in Darwin's Life . & …
… word “benevolent” has always been associated with Dr. Darwin by his friends '. She recalled an …
… bedside & made him a sign to be silent. He then said “Dr. Darwin I am the Jockey who is to ride …
… just at the last, & come in third or fourth'. Darwin tried to verify such tales …
… in the Life , pp. 63–5. One of Darwin's aims in assembling these episodes …
… which had been tarnished by previous biographies. Many of Darwin's relations had expressed …
… Erasmus's character and restored his good reputation. Francis Galton was pleased to have been …
… rallied round and debated the best course of action. His son Leonard suggested inserting a flysheet …

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 …
… 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 …
… grandfather, Erasmus, to two of Darwin’s sons (George and Leonard ), who had recently excelled in …
… 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 ). …

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 …
… whose essay on Erasmus’s scientific work complemented Darwin’s biographical piece. Krause’s essay …
… Kosmos in February 1879, an issue produced in honour of Darwin’s birthday. Krause enlarged and …
… 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 …
… 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 …

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 …

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: 25 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 …
… 219.1: 89). The most eminent of Darwin’s guests was Francis , duke of Teck, a German prince …
… was great’, Henrietta Emma Litchfield wrote to her brother Leonard on 14 September, ‘& special …
… 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 …

3.3 Maull and Polyblank photo 2

Summary

< Back to Introduction Despite the difficulties that arose in relation to Maull and Polyblank’s first photograph of Darwin, another one was produced, this time showing him in three-quarter view. It was evidently not taken at the same session as the…

Matches: 17 hits

… in relation to Maull and Polyblank’s first photograph of Darwin, another one was produced, this time …
… this second photograph is not precisely dated. An entry in Darwin’s account book for February 1858 …
… be dated to a few years later. It may be the photograph that Darwin was promising to order and post …
… had given him such an ‘atrociously wicked’ expression. Darwin also wrote to Asa Gray in April 1861: …
… commercially produced, not the one taken by his son William Darwin at that time, which he mentions …
… than Maull and Polyblank are known to have been employed by Darwin before the second half of the …
… It must have been available before April or May 1862, when Darwin’s brother Erasmus solicited some …
… hand, that of ‘J.D.’), ‘Photograph of Charles Darwin taken about the time of the publication of the …
… in late November 1859. In his letter of spring 1862, Darwin’s brother Erasmus sought Charles’s …
… and Polyblank, rather than just a supply of prints to the Darwin family for presentation to selected …
… to volume 1 of The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin (1887), edited by Francis Darwin (with a …
… in Annals of Botany in 1899, to illustrate an article on Darwin’s botanical work by Francis …
… of 1903. It was also, alas, one of the portrayals of Darwin ‘Exhibited by William E. and Leonard …
… the fact that it was one of the very few images that showed Darwin as he looked at the time of the …
… ‘A reminiscence of Mr. Darwin’ [by James Hague]. Francis Darwin, ‘The botanical work of Darwin’, in …
… ‘List of Exhibits . . . Exhibited by William E. and Leonard Darwin’, First International Eugenics …
… p. 1, B3. Karl Pearson, The Life, Letters and Labours of Francis Galton , 3 vols (Cambridge: …

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 …
… of fright’, and one of his photographs, later used by Darwin in Expression , showed a man whose …
… 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 …
… letter to [E.W. Blore], [October 1870 or later] ). Leonard continued to have great success …
… 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] ). …

Emma Darwin

Summary

Emma Darwin, Charles Darwin's wife and first cousin, was born Emma Wedgwood, the eighth and youngest child of Josiah Wedgwood II and Bessy Allen. Her father was the eldest son of the famous pottery manufacturer, Josiah Wedgwood I. Her mother was one…

Matches: 6 hits

… Emma Darwin, Charles Darwin's wife and first cousin, was born Emma Wedgwood, the eighth and …
… father's eldest sister, Susannah, had married Robert Waring Darwin of Shrewsbury, and had six …
… were born (Mary, Henrietta Emma, George Howard, Elizabeth, Francis, Leonard, Horace, and Charles …
… 10. Charles and Emma also cared for their grandson Bernard, Francis's son: his mother, Amy, …
… Road, where she lived with her daughter Elizabeth. Francis, George, and Horace also lived in …
… home. A great deal of her correspondence survives in the Darwin Archive–CUL, along with her …

Darwin Correspondence Project

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