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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…

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… 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 …
… me much’ ( letter to Francis Galton, 15 [June 1879 ] ). Even the prospect of a holiday in the Lake …
… ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, [after 26] July [1879 ] ). From July, Darwin had an additional …
… ‘a dismal time’ ( letter to Henry Johnson, 24 September 1879 ). He may have been consoled to learn …
… pear’ ( enclosure in letter from R. W. Dixon, 20 December 1879 ). The year ended with the start of …
… or gone some other way round?’ At least the last letter of 1879 contained a warmer note and the …
… & 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 …
… … 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, …
… because it dominated the picture (letter from Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield, [17 July 1879 ] (DAR …
… men of science quarrelled (letter from Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, [6 September 1879 ] (DAR 219.1: …

Diagrams and drawings in letters

Summary

Over 850 illustrations from the printed volumes of The Correspondence of Charles Darwin have been added to the online transcripts of the letters. The contents include maps, diagrams, drawings, sketches and photographs, covering geological, botanical,…

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… Forbes's "Atlantis" theory, [25 February 1846] E. A. Darwin's …
… containing bud samples, 12 May 1878 G. H. Darwin's drawings of Thalia dealbata …
… map of the sandhills in central Sweden, 16 February 1879 C. W. Hamilton's …

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: 24 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. …
… character is of much value to me’ ( letter to C. H. Tindal, 5 January 1880 ). Darwin had employed …
… find an ordinary mortal who could laugh’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin to Charles and Emma Darwin, 22 …
… he had written for the German journal Kosmos in February 1879 , an issue produced in honour of …
… Butler, Evolution old and new , which had appeared in May 1879 . Krause wanted to correct Butler’s …
… Correspondence vol. 27, letter from Ernst Krause, 7 June 1879 , and letter to Ernst Krause, 9 …
… Darwin stated that Krause’s piece had been written in 1879 (before Evolution old and new was …
… 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 …
… had raised the plant from seeds sent by Asa Gray in December 1879 . His observations differed, …
… by Gray in an article and textbook (A. Gray 1877 and A. Gray 1879 , pp. 20–1). ‘I think you cannot …
… 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 …
… been developed through natural selection’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 11 May 1880 ). Worthy …

Darwin’s student booklist

Summary

In October 1825 Charles Darwin and his older brother, Erasmus, went to study medicine in Edinburgh, where their father, Robert Waring Darwin, had trained as a doctor in the 1780’s. Erasmus had already graduated from Cambridge and was continuing his studies…

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… In October 1825 Charles Darwin and his older brother, Erasmus, went to study medicine in Edinburgh, …
… on to London for further medical training (see letter from E. A. Darwin, [29 September 1826] ). …
… of England. This list is difficult to date precisely. Darwin mentions reading Granby in a …
… The position of Granby on the list would suggest that Darwin was very busy reading in January …
… of chemistry in 1801. Other books illustrate Darwin’s wider scientific interests, and also …
… , which was edited by David Brewster; and Robert Grant took Darwin to meetings of the Wernerian …
… university. There are several books of travel, and Darwin seems to have been particularly …
… arctic zoology. Two titles are closely connected with Darwin’s family. Zoonomia was …
… a week between March 1750 and March 1752. Both he and Dr Darwin had Lichfield connections, but the …
… Almack’s , Granby and Brambletye House. Darwin wrote to his sister Susan on 29 January …
… <Ni>tric Oxide? (DAR 19: 3–4) Darwin’s student booklist - the text …
… Abernethy Hunterian orat & Lect. Pamph. 9 8 Vo. H K Whites Letters & Poems 12 mo …
… Henry Chemistry 17 2 Vols 8 Vo Sewards memoirs of Darwin 18 1 Vol 8 Vo. Several …
… 3 Abernethy 1822. There is a lightly annotated copy in the Darwin Library–CUL, bound with Abernethy …
… Lister 1826 as an ‘entertaining book’ (see letter to S. E. Darwin, 29 January [1826] ). The …
… Colombia, during the years 1823 and 1824 . 2 vols. London: H. Colburn. Darwin, Erasmus. 1794 …

Religion

Summary

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

Matches: 10 hits

… the most notorious realm of controversy over evolution in Darwin's day was religion. The same …
… nineteenth century were different in important ways. Many of Darwin's leading supporters were …
… their religious beliefs with evolutionary theory. Darwin's own writing, both in print and …
… much as possible. A number of correspondents tried to draw Darwin out on his own religious views, …
… political contexts. Design Darwin was not the first to challenge …
… on the controversial topic of design. The first is between Darwin and Harvard botanist Asa Gray, …
… second is a single letter from naturalist A. R. Wallace to Darwin on design and natural selection. …
… Letter 5307 — Darwin, C. R. to Boole, M. E., 14 Dec 1866 Darwin believes he is unable to …
… Letter 8070 — Darwin, C. R. to Abbot, F. E., 16 Nov [1871] Darwin explains why he must …
… Letter 12041 — Darwin, C. R. to Fordyce, John, 7 May 1879 In this letter marked “private”, …

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: 20 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 …
… a slap in the face as he would have cause to remember’. Darwin was enormously relieved. ‘Your note …
… wrote such a savage review of Unconscious memory that Darwin feared he had redirected Butler’s …
… decided to print ‘500 more, making 2000’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 January 1881 ). Unlike …
… very surprising the whole case is to me’ (letters to W. E. Darwin, 31 January [1881] and 19 …
… with you’, a Swedish teacher told him ( letter from C. E. Södling, 14 October 1881 ), while H. M. …
… little, to the general stock of knowledge’ ( letter to E. W. Bok, 10 May 1881 ). Josef Popper, an …
… in heaven’ when the portrait was finished ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 23 July 1881 ). ‘All my family …
… absurd for one with no pretensions’ (l etter from W. E. Darwin, 13 January [1881 ]), Darwin …
… after expressing their wish to visit Darwin ( letter from E. B. Aveling, 27 September [1881] ). …
… Leopold Würtenberger, who had received £100 from Darwin in 1879 to continue his work on the …

3.18 Elliott and Fry photos, c.1869-1871

Summary

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

Matches: 24 hits

… photographic firm of Elliott and Fry seems to have portrayed Darwin at Down House on several …
… Payments to the firm on 25 July 1869 and 5 April 1870 in Darwin’s banking account must relate to …
… to Wallace. Elliott and Fry evidently approached Darwin again in the spring of 1871, with a …
… to Down again for a simpler portrayal. On 2 August 1871, Darwin wrote, ‘Many thanks for the …
… which of Elliott and Fry’s widely disseminated images of Darwin were taken in summer 1869, and which …
… view, is not much help. However, two of the group now in the Darwin archive were dated by Darwin’s …
… the later 1870s are clearly wide of the mark. As regards Darwin’s appearance, he does not look older …
… this group of photographs, of which there is a print in the Darwin archive (DAR 225.117), shows a …
… and must therefore have been reissued commemoratively. Darwin’s daughter Henrietta owned this, and …
… to it. In another of Elliott and Fry’s photographs, Darwin sits sternly erect; in yet another he …
… to a profile or nearer to a frontal view. In all of them Darwin is wearing a distinctive waistcoat, …
… the complexities, John van Wyhe, in his ‘Iconography’ of Darwin portraits, identifies some of the …
… the day, which were widely marketed. Thus the photographs of Darwin were frequently reissued in …
… in the National Portrait Gallery. An idealised version of Darwin’s head from one of the Elliott and …
… to the June 1882 issue, which had two obituary articles on Darwin. It had also appeared in another …
… engraving which seems almost to exaggerate the shagginess of Darwin’s hair, eyebrows and beard, …
… frame and published in The Examiner on 11 October 1879 . There was even a wood-engraved version …
… many more such usages of the Elliott and Fry images of Darwin, often at third hand or in reworked …
… Elliott and Fry’s rather unflattering portrayal of Darwin, especially of his blunt nose and untidy …
… Elliott and Fry photographs were mentioned by Francis Darwin in his catalogue of portraits in Life …
… photographer in 1881. physical location Darwin archive, Cambridge University …
… series of eminent men portrayed in The Examiner (11 Oct. 1879 ), facing p. 1312. Engraving by …
… A further derivative is an intaglio engraving signed ‘E.W. Andrews fecit’ in the Natural History …
… in The Boy’s Own Paper, 15:743 (8 April 1893), p. 443. H. Baden Pritchard, The Photographic …

People featured in the Dutch photograph album

Summary

Here is a list of people that appeared in the photograph album Darwin received for his birthday on 12 February 1877 from scientific admirers in the Netherlands. Many thanks to Hester Loeff for identifying and researching them. No. …

Matches: 5 hits

… list of people that appeared in the photograph album Darwin received for his birthday on 12 …
… 20 june 1854 Middelburg 13 october 1879 Groningen 8 …
… 16 july 1815 Rotterdam 28 february 1879 Vucht 102 …
… Arnhem 7 june 1834 23 december 1879 Arnhem 117 …
… 21 september 1849 Den Bosch 13 oktober 1879 Groningen …

People featured in the Dutch photograph album

Summary

List of people appearing in the photograph album Darwin received from scientific admirers in the Netherlands for his birthday on 12 February 1877. We are grateful to Hester Loeff for providing this list and for permission to make her research available.…

Matches: 7 hits

… List of people appearing in the photograph album Darwin received from scientific admirers in …
… 20 June 1854 Middelburg 13 October 1879 Groningen Feminist and …
… Died just a few months after the album was sent to Charles Darwin at the age of 53 …
… Geologist, Economist an Darwinist. Corresponded with Darwin and translated The descent of Man in …
… 16 July 1815 Rotterdam 28 February 1879 Vucht He was Med. Dr. …
… Arnhem 7 June 1834 23 December 1879 Arnhem https://www …
… 21 September 1849 Den Bosch 13 October 1879 Groningen Partner of …

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: 28 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 …
… 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. …
… on Aurochs [Weissenborn 1838] Smiths grammar [J. E. Smith 1821] & introduct of Botany [J. …
… (read) G. St. Hilaire Progress de un Naturalist [E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1835] (Gerard …
… 8] 1854 Jan 15. Seeman’s Narrative of H.M.S. Herald [Seeman 1853]. Feb 6. …
… 9 CD did not follow his own advice. In 1879 , he stated that he had unbounded respect for …
… Belcher, Edward. 1848. Narrative of the voyage of H.M.S. Samarang during the years 1843–46; …
… 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; …
… ——. 1853. A visit to the Indian Archipelago, in H.M.S. Mæander, with portions of the private …
… Macgillivray, John. 1852. Narrative of the voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, commanded by the late …
… … Together with a narrative of the operations of H.M.S. Iris. 2 vols. London. *119: 22 …
… shores of Africa, Arabia and Madagascar; performed in H.M. Ships Leven and Barracouta . Edited …

Discussion Questions and Essay Questions

Summary

There are a wide range of possibilities for opening discussion and essay writing on Darwin’s correspondence. We have provided a set of sample discussion questions and essay questions, each of which focuses on a particular topic or correspondent in depth.…

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… of possibilities for opening discussion and essay writing on Darwin’s correspondence. We have …
… start researching and writing an essay that centres on Darwin’s letters, narrowing the field to a …
… Why was correspondence so important for Darwin? How did Darwin encourage people he did not …
… material did letters contain? How much knowledge does Darwin assume when he writes to …
… and class, matter in scientific exchange? What does Darwin do when he wants to introduce a …
… internet today? Essay writing How was Darwin’s early species theory discussed …
… What ethical implications did readers draw from Darwin’s theories?[Mary Boole (1864), F. E. Abbot …
… on inheritance theory (pangenesis) (1870-1)] How did Darwin involve his family in his research …
… Gray (1861-8), Wallace (1869-70), Mivart (1871-4)] Did Darwin believe in progress? [Lyell …
… 1868, W. Reade, 1870-1) As a product of natural selection, e.g. coloured seeds and fruit (Fritz …

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