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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…

Matches: 14 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 …
… ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, [after 26] July [1879 ] ). From July, Darwin had an additional …
… contained a warmer note and the promise of future happiness: Darwin learned he was to be visited by …
… 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 …
… perplexed than ever about life of D r . D’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, 12 July [1879 ] ). It was …
… in plants. Over the previous two years, he and his son Francis had worked together on the …
… of radicles, the embryonic roots of seedlings ( letter to Francis Darwin, 16 June [1879 ] ). …

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: 12 hits

… In 1879 , Darwin continued his research on movement in plants and researched, …
… and published a short biography of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin as an introduction to a …
… most of August on holiday in the Lake District. In October, Darwin’s youngest son, Horace, became …
… from her father, who, although an admirer of Charles Darwin, thought Horace a poor prospect for his …
… such a job. ( Letter to J. D. Hooker, 1 December [1879 ] ) In early 1879 , as a tribute …
… 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 ] ) …
… the country . ( Letter to T. H. Farrer, 23 October 1879 ) During the year Darwin …
… of the theory of natural selection. Nothing came of it in 1879 , but it was to bear fruit later. He …
… ( Letter to T. H. Farrer, 13 October 1879 ) Darwin wrote this to his son Horace’s …

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: 23 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 …
… 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 …
… Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company led Darwin to chide Francis for giving a klinostat designed …
… supporters, and rejoiced in his election. Promoting Francis ’s own botanical research was as …
… on 27 January for not commending papers presented by Francis at the Linnean Society the previous …
… realised was ‘incumbent’ upon him), Darwin, certain that Francis had not been offended, stated, ‘I …
… letter to Asa Gray, 29 January 1881 ). While Francis was working in de Bary’s …
… Leopold Würtenberger, who had received £100 from Darwin in 1879 to continue his work on the …

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: 22 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 …
… copied but also improved on some of the apparatuses that Francis had been introduced to at Würzburg. …
… 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 …
… from all over Europe and beyond. When Darwin’s son Francis worked in this laboratory in the summers …
… had also asked Horace to discuss the point with his friend Francis Balfour(258). Darwin promised to …
… 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 …
… to Wurzburg, & work by myself will be dull work’ . Francis was in Würzburg until early August. …
… good instruments were never far from Darwin’s thinking. Francis viewed the new instruments he was …
… couple of days ( letter from A. F. Batalin, 28 February 1879 ). Darwin was especially keen for his …
… so much at odds ( letter to Hugo de Vries 13 February 1879 ). He was reassured by De Vries, who …
… When Francis spent a month in Algiers in early 1879 , Darwin asked him to visit the botanist Gaetano …
… seeds ( letter to Francis Darwin, [4 February – 8 March 1879 ] ). He continued to write up the …
… ’. The lull in experimental work continued into March 1879 , and Darwin seemed weary when he told …

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: 23 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 …
… 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 …
… Mr Butler whatever.’ Power of movement With Francis ’s assistance, the last of Darwin’s …
… 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 …
… 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 …

Power of movement in plants

Summary

Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment Family experiments Darwin was an active and engaged father during his children's youth, involving them in his experiments and even occasionally using them as observational subjects. When his children…

Matches: 11 hits

… | Experiment Family experiments Darwin was an active and engaged father during …
… Man (1872). This teaching module focuses on work done by Darwin with his son Francis on …
… and his role as an attentive and affectionate father. Darwin's letters to Francis mix advice on …
… notice that although they come from the last decade of Darwin’s life, he is still interested in his …
… move In The Power of movement in plants Darwin continued his experiments with and …
… in behavioral responses. In the conclusion of the book Darwin argues that gradual modifications in …
… SOURCES Books Darwin, C.R. The power of movement in plants. 1880. London: …
… of movement in plants Letter 7346 - Darwin to Francis Darwin, 18 October 1870 …
… compromising their character. Letter 10517 - Darwin to Francis Darwin, 29 May 1876 …
… they would be worth making. Letter 11628 - Francis Darwin to Darwin, 24 July 1878 …
… Letter 12152 - Francis Darwin to Darwin, 12 July 1879 Francis writes to his father …

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: 17 hits

… The Life of Erasmus Darwin (1879) was a curious departure for Darwin. It was intended as a …
… 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 …
… the 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 …
… my tether '. The book was published in November of 1879. Darwin filled his notice with …
… Erasmus's character and restored his good reputation. Francis Galton was pleased to have been …
… whose Evolution Old and New had been published in May of 1879, had not failed to find the …

1.14 William Richmond, oil

Summary

< Back to Introduction William Blake Richmond’s portrait of Darwin, dating from 1879, celebrated his honorary degree of LL.D (Doctor in Laws), awarded by Cambridge University in 1877. Darwin’s return to his alma mater for the presentation ceremony…

Matches: 16 hits

… William Blake Richmond’s portrait of Darwin, dating from 1879 , celebrated his honorary degree of LL …
… Senate House . . . and the scene was very animated.’ As Darwin entered the room, he ‘received an …
… orator, speaking in Latin, elegantly but speciously adapted Darwin’s theories to ‘a passage of …
… wearing a mortarboard and academic gown from cords over Darwin’s head. Whether the students intended …
… (son of George Richmond, who had painted the watercolour of Darwin in his youth), received the …
… Oxford in this same year. In a letter of 18 June 1879 , Darwin told Thiselton-Dyer (Hooker’s …
… he found it difficult to establish any personal rapport with Darwin during his time at Down House. …
… The Times critic thought it a ‘noble portrait’; Darwin was ‘wearing his crimson doctor’s gown, …
… seigniory’. Its reception by the University and the Darwin family was apparently less enthusiastic. …
… the expression are characteristic of my father’. When Emma Darwin saw it for the first time on a …
… Zoology department of the University. Richmond’s image of Darwin never became familiar and popular …
… Collier for another and very different oil portrait. With Darwin’s death perceived to be not far …
… William Blake Richmond   date of creation 1879 -80   computer-readable date 1879 …
… News’, Observer (18 Nov. 1877), p. 6. ‘Mr. Darwin at Cambridge’, Nature (22 Nov. 1877), p. …
… exhibition’, Manchester Guardian (17 May 1880), p. 5. Francis Darwin (ed.), The Life and …
… Christmas number of the Art Journal, 1902, p. 31. Francis Darwin and A.C. Seward, More Letters …

Fake Darwin: myths and misconceptions

Summary

Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive ones, with full debunking below...

Matches: 1 hits

… Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive …

Interview with Randal Keynes

Summary

Randal Keynes is a great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin, and the author of Annie’s Box (Fourth Estate, 2001), which discusses Darwin’s home life, his relationship with his wife and children, and the ways in which these influenced his feelings about…

Matches: 19 hits

… Randal Keynes is a great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin, and the author of Annie’s Box (Fourth …
… University Library - in the Keynes Room! - visiting the Darwin Correspondence Project. Randal is a …
… Your book seems to counter prevailing popular portraits of Darwin as the solitary genius, and of …
… any historian of science, that the great achievements, like Darwin's, and many others, are not …
… [of] all the scientist's colleagues. 6. Darwin's poetic sensibility …
… and daughter to take a holiday in the Lake District, and in 1879 he went to the Lake District, and …
… Yes. 7. How, and what, do we know of Darwin's opinions about religion? …
… to conclude with any certainty. You, and Jim Moore [another Darwin biographer] as well, talk about …
… ?the tatters of belief in a moral, just universe?, and that Darwin now took his stand as an …
… that he read, which are very important - and in general, Darwin's reading is a fascinating …
… important, fundamental act. That was important for her. Darwin just didn't have that in him, …
… ? and look there for the explanation of the difficulties Darwin and Emma had with each other's …
… I'm struck by, also, this moral dimension to Christianity. Darwin, several times, comes back to …
… of liberal theologians and unitarians that were part of Darwin's circle would not necessarily …
… Dr White: Right. 9. Emma Darwin's influence and struggle with faith …
… White: Right. 10. Parallels between Darwin's occupation and Emma's …
… for that was a struggle - and I'm thinking also about Darwin's humility as a man of …
… and? I'm seeing a parallel between her religious journey and Darwin's scientific vocation, …
… should reveal, in the Life and letters that his son Francis was putting together, about his …

3.16 Oscar Rejlander, photos

Summary

< Back to Introduction Darwin’s plans for the illustration of his book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872) led him to the Swedish-born painter and photographer, Oscar Gustaf Rejlander. Rejlander gave Darwin the notes that he had…

Matches: 21 hits

… < Back to Introduction Darwin’s plans for the illustration of his book The …
… and photographer, Oscar Gustaf Rejlander. Rejlander gave Darwin the notes that he had himself made …
… in the early 1870s (he died in January 1875), and Darwin assisted him financially on at least one …
… The Expression of the Emotions. In April of that year, Darwin wrote to the London firm of Elliott …
… to any purchasers’. Phillip Prodger has suggested that Darwin agreed to be photographed by Rejlander …
… Expression of the Emotions. Open sale of any portraits of Darwin was likely to be highly …
… Library contains photographs by him of Richard Litchfield (Darwin’s son in law), and another man, …
… this was the wedding day of Litchfield and Henrietta Darwin, which Rejlander thus commemorated. …
… plans for purveying a fanciful or dramatised portrayal of Darwin, he was evidently thwarted, as …
… transition from pathognomy to portraiture in his work for Darwin must have raised interesting …
… and on one side. Of the five or so known photographs of Darwin, evidently taken at more than one …
… photographs. In this way they communicate a sense of Darwin’s commanding intellect and physical …
… However, they may have seemed too dramatic to please the Darwin family, and were evidently not …
… 1871, and reproduced in the London Journal in June 1872. Darwin also sent it to various contacts …
… Dresser. However, it was a fourth photograph, showing just Darwin’s head and shoulders in profile, …
… press. On 11 November 1871, Rejlander sent Darwin ‘a bundle of cards’, which were probably …
… supposition is strengthened by the fact that in October 1871 Darwin himself had written to the …
… wood-engraved by R. Taylor; it illustrated an article on Darwin on the front page of The …
… was published in Nature in 1874, and was included in Francis Darwin’s list of canonical …
… Litchfield to a family servant as her leaving present in 1879 . Henry Eeles Dresser’s album of …
… accompanying a laudatory article by Revd R.A. Armstrong. Francis Darwin’s catalogue of portraits of …

3.14 Julia Margaret Cameron, photos

Summary

< Back to Introduction In the summer of 1868 Darwin took a holiday on the Isle of Wight with his immediate family, his brother Erasmus, and his friend Joseph Hooker. The family’s accommodation at Freshwater was rented from the photographer Julia…

Matches: 25 hits

… < Back to Introduction In the summer of 1868 Darwin took a holiday on the Isle of …
… Cameron, who seized this opportunity to portray both Darwin and Hooker – portraits that would come …
… and in particular Hooker’s speech – a ‘Eulogium’ of Darwin, would represent a public victory for the …
… such as to heighten the demand for images of Hooker and of Darwin himself. She was in any case a …
… from Cameron’s portraits that included the one of Darwin, thought that ‘Something of what William …
… done’, had been achieved by these photographs. Darwin was not a natural inhabitant of this …
… characteristics of the four or five known photographs of Darwin which Cameron took in the summer of …
… them romantically dishevelled and swathed in rough drapery, Darwin is wearing his usual conventional …
… than a passing resemblance’ between these photographs and Darwin’s own engraved portrait of Leonardo …
… one serves as frontispiece to R.B. Freeman’s Charles Darwin: A Companion . In another shot, he …
… powerful resolve, and there is a quality which his son Francis described as characteristic of him – …
… in his journal after an encounter with the great man in 1879 , ‘his features are not good’; yet ‘his …
… captured by Cameron with great skill: in fact, her image of Darwin was such as to offset the …
… of Descent of Man. Indeed, such ennobling images of Darwin fed into a perception of the superior …
… that it was ‘Not a very successful picture, although Mr. Darwin was very pleased with it’. In fact …
… revered sitter, Tennyson. Nevertheless, this photograph of Darwin was highly favoured, and had a …
… actuality. Ernst Haeckel recalled his first impressions of Darwin on a visit to Down House in 1866: …
… of Dr Johnson discoursing; and Cameron’s emphasis on Darwin’s domed skull is attuned to nineteenth …
… intelligence. Relations between Cameron and the Darwin family continued to be very cordial, …
… the role of her agent at the BAAS conference. He reported to Darwin at the end of August, ‘I have …
… 28–30cm. vertically. Although the profile photograph of Darwin was reproduced as a lantern slide and …
… a loss of most of the tonal subtlety of the original; as Darwin complained in a letter to Alfred …
… 88202895; 88204450; 88204438, with a printed facsimile of Darwin’s signature.   copyright …
… Review , 101 (April 1857), 2 parts, part 2, pp. 442–468. Darwin’s letters to Hooker, 17 [Aug. 1868] …
… Haeckel on Darwin’ in Times (28 Sept. 1882), p. 6. Francis Darwin (ed.), The Life and Letters …

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: 25 hits

… In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished …
… used these notebooks extensively in dating and annotating Darwin’s letters; the full transcript …
… *128). For clarity, the transcript does not record Darwin’s alterations. The spelling and …
… book had been consulted. Those cases where it appears that Darwin made a genuine deletion have been …
… a few instances, primarily in the ‘Books Read’ sections, Darwin recorded that a work had been …
… of the books listed in the other two notebooks. Sometimes Darwin recorded that an abstract of the …
… own. Soon after beginning his first reading notebook, Darwin began to separate the scientific …
… the second reading notebook. Readers primarily interested in Darwin’s scientific reading, therefore, …
… editors’ identification of the book or article to which Darwin refers. A full list of these works is …
… page number (or numbers, as the case may be) on which Darwin’s entry is to be found. The …
… in the bibliography that other editions were available to Darwin. While it is likely that Darwin …
… are not found listed here. The description given by Francis Darwin of his father’s method of …
… Darwin Library (AC.34). Darwin’s books were bequeathed to Francis Darwin, who, in 1908, gave all but …
… to be available to scholars using the archive. Books that Francis Darwin had kept were left to his …
… 1828] 31 An analysis of British Ferns. G. W. Francis 4 s [Francis 1837]— plates of …
… 9 CD did not follow his own advice. In 1879 , he stated that he had unbounded respect for …
… work is listed again on p. [22]. 44 Probably Francis Boott. 45 Edward …
… Africa . London. *119: 18v.; 119: 14a Bacon, Francis . 1825–36. The works of Francis …
… ed. London. [Darwin Library.] 128: 12 Castelnau, Francis , Comte de. 1846. M. de Castelnau …
… of Linnæus . n.p. 119: 4a Davis, John Francis . 1852. China, during war and since …
… the Second. London. [Other eds.] 119: 17b Francis , George William. 1837. An analysis …
… of J. Galt . 2 vols. London. 119: 21b Galton, Francis . 1853. The narrative of an …
… Cowper . 4 vols. London. 119: 5a Head, Francis Bond. 1834. Bubbles from the Brunnens …
… Leonard, ed. 1843. Memoirs and correspondence of Francis Horner. Edited by Leonard Horner. 2 …
… . Boston. [Other eds.] *119: 18v. [Jeffrey, Francis ]. 1811. Alison on taste. Edinburgh …

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: 23 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 …
… 1869–71 Elliott and Fry photographs were mentioned by Francis Darwin in his catalogue of portraits …
… photographer in 1881. physical location Darwin archive, Cambridge University …
… etc.   references and bibliography letters from Darwin to A.B. Meyer, 27 November [1869], …
… series of eminent men portrayed in The Examiner (11 Oct. 1879 ), facing p. 1312. Engraving by …

What did Darwin believe?

Summary

What did Darwin really believe about God? the Christian revelation? the implications of his theory of evolution for religious faith? These questions were asked again and again in the years following the publication of Origin of species (1859). They are…

Matches: 25 hits

… What did Darwin really believe about God? the Christian revelation? the implications of …
… rhetoric of crusading secularists, many of whom take Darwin as an icon. But Darwin was very …
… Letters became an important medium through which Darwin’s readers sought to draw him out on matters …
… the religious implications of his work. Letters written to Darwin by persons unknown to him became …
… own. Mary Boole’s letter In December 1866 Darwin received a letter from Mary Boole, a …
… See the letter Boole, like a number of Darwin’s readers, found a way of reconciling the …
… with some form of religious belief. But when Boole asks Darwin about specific points of belief, such …
… See the letter In his response to Boole, Darwin implies that certain questions are beyond …
… Science, or by the so called “inner consciousness”’. Darwin does not dismiss different forms of …
… such territory in this letter to a stranger. Emma Darwin In what is perhaps …
… mind. See the letter In this letter, Darwin is quite clear that he has never …
… he says, is often in a state of flux. What did Darwin mean by the term “agnostic”? The word …
… about questions such as the existence and nature of God. For Darwin, it also seems to imply that …
… be answered by science, and other questions that can not. Darwin had made this point in his response …
… their engagement in 1838, we find an early expression of Darwin’s religious doubts. Darwin’s …
… with you. See the letter We know from Darwin’s scientific notebooks from this …
… these differences to be shared. The tendency amongst Darwin scholars has been to assume that …
… part, sustained their marriage. If not deeply religious, Darwin was at least not disrespectful to …
… and wifely devotion have appeared only as a background to Darwin’s own life and intellectual …
… was another important religious tradition in the Darwin and Wedgwood families. Josiah Wedgwood, who …
… the Darwins and Wedgwoods, together in the first place. Darwin had attended a Unitarian school in …
… writer Frances Power Cobbe. All were regular guests of Darwin’s brother Erasmus, and of Emma’s …
… liberal Anglican authors, including Martineau, Taylor, and Francis Newman. Newman’s Phases of …
… doctrine, only to recite the liturgy. But we know, from Francis Darwin’s comments, that Emma used to …
… Unitarian clergyman and religious writer. Newman, Francis , 1850. Phases of faith; or, passages …

Fool's experiments

Summary

‘I love fools' experiments. I am always making them’, was one of the most interesting things the zoologist E. Ray Lankester ever heard Darwin say. ‘A great deal might be written as comment on that statement’, Lankester later recorded, but he limited…

Matches: 21 hits

… interesting things the zoologist E. Ray Lankester ever heard Darwin say. ‘A great deal might be …
… the dark into great discoveries.’ [1] What were Darwin’s ‘fools’ experiments’ and did they …
… great discoveries’? The fool’s experiment that Darwin had described to Lankester involved …
… see whether one would act in any way upon the other. [2] Darwin could hardly have expected that …
… surprised by nature typified his fool’s experiments. While Darwin was cautious about speculation, he …
… knowledge that might be limited in some way. Darwin’s fool’s experiments, however, were more …
… or mysterious aspects of the natural world and were, for Darwin, a form of wishful thinking. When …
… some tropical mosses for his experiments. In 1878, Darwin, deep into his investigation of the …
… those of the Polish botanist Theophil Ciesielski. Darwin wondered whether hot and dry radicles might …
… before proceeding to more complex explanations guided Darwin’s experimental practice in this case. …
… on etiolated leaves—but they would not turn white. ’ Darwin was delighted to hear that ‘ Sachs …
… the results of many fool’s experiments were negative, Darwin’s enthusiasm for them did not wane. …
… of silk. While not labelling this a fool’s experiment, Darwin did admit that in the ‘ eyes of all …
… Hannay’s attempts to produce artificial diamonds in 1881, Darwin suggested a modification to the …
… of the carbon for diamonds in their natural place. ’ Darwin had long wished ‘ that some one w d …
… ‘ side-result ’ had emerged from a fool’s experiment Darwin carried out in June 1842. While …
… he had ‘ planted ’ in 1842. Unexpectedly, it was Darwin’s three-year old son William, whose early …
… meant that the record of the experiment ended up not in Darwin’s accounts of bees but in the …
… children (DAR 210.11: 37). One of those children, Francis Darwin, when recalling Darwin’s …
… the problem of free will and determinism.’ This involved Darwin following the pattern of many other …
… [2] Ibid ., p. 4391. [3] Francis Darwin, Rustic Sounds (London: John …

2.27 William Couper bust, New York

Summary

< Back to Introduction In 1909 the centenary of Darwin’s birth and the fifty years anniversary of the publication of Origin of Species coincided. In recognition of this historic milestone, a grand celebration and international colloquium took place…

Matches: 18 hits

… < Back to Introduction In 1909 the centenary of Darwin’s birth and the fifty years …
… were large gatherings of scientists intent on appraisal of Darwin’s legacy after half a century of …
… in 1908 the Academy decided to commemorate the forthcoming Darwin centenary by giving a bronze bust …
… Museum, Henry Fairfield Osborn, at an unveiling ceremony on Darwin’s birthday, 12 February 1909, …
… from the zoologists gathered for a commemorative dinner in Darwin’s old rooms at the College. …
… Garden. Osborn gave a series of laudatory lectures on Darwin at Columbia University, and recalled …
… Cambridge, and he led the American delegation to the Darwin centenary celebration there in June 1909 …
… in New York. However, the commission for the bust of Darwin posed many problems. It was to be twice …
… During 1908 Cox sought advice on Couper’s behalf from Darwin’s sons. Francis Darwin advised against …
… bust was. Thus Couper had to rely largely on photographs of Darwin in Cox’s collection, showing his …
… work of art’ which conveyed the ‘far-seeing vision’ of Darwin’s ‘deep-set eyes, controlled by a …
… OF SCIENCES ON THE ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF DARWIN AND THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF …
… the entrance to a hall which was appropriately renamed the Darwin Hall of Invertebrate Zoology. The …
… and postdarwinian biology’, delivered at Boston on Darwin’s birthday in 1909, was an especially …
… a quarter of a century earlier, a commanding portrait of Darwin and promulgation of his ideas at the …
… In Cox’s address on ‘The individuality of Charles Darwin’ and many of the other addresses on 12 …
… of the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Birth of Charles Darwin and the Fiftieth Anniversary of the …
… Edmund Otis Hovey, and dated 31 October 1908. Special Darwin issue, The Popular Science Monthly …

John Murray

Summary

Darwin's most famous book On the origin of species by means of natural selection (Origin) was published on 22 November 1859. The publisher was John Murray, who specialised in non-fiction, particularly politics, travel and science, and had published…

Matches: 19 hits

… Darwin's most famous book On the origin of species by means of natural …
… Scotland : it contains more than two hundred letters from Darwin, from his first negotiations in …
… date from 1859, the year of the publication of Origin . Darwin’s son Francis described how his …
… more interesting correspondence ( LL 1, p. v). Darwin returned from his voyage around the …
… This had been published in London by Henry Colburn, but Darwin felt that the arrangements had been …
… ). Lyell’s talk with Murray must have been successful, for Darwin sold his copyright in the …
… a single volume. Returning to Murray the final proof sheets Darwin wrote, ‘I am much obliged for the …
… ). Thus began the business relationship between Charles Darwin and John Murray. Darwin’s next …
… Murray’s printers, and in the first copies some pages in Darwin’s chapter were transposed ( Letter …
… some present’ (12 June [1849] Letter 1245 ). Darwin’s next publications, his barnacle …
… would not have interested a commercial publisher. In 1854 Darwin had begun writing up his species …
… species was driven by natural selection. In order to ensure Darwin’s priority, his friends Charles …
… ), who, without even reading the manuscript, offered Darwin two-thirds of the profit ( Letter 2443 …
… the trade at 9 s .6 d . a copy ( Letter 2513a ). When Darwin first saw the finished volume, …
… called for ( Letter 2549 ). In the end Murray paid Darwin £180 for the first edition of Origin …
… of a world that is slowly and continuously changing. Darwin now began work on The variation …
… and on the good effects of intercrossing (Orchids) , which Darwin had prepared for the Linnean …
… profits ( Letter 12219 ), and the book was published in 1879 . The following year Darwin …
… plants (Movement in plants), which he wrote with his son, Francis . It was extensively illustrated, …

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.…

Matches: 9 hits

… 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 …
… Müller and the adaptations of insects to flowers (1867), Francis Galton on inheritance theory …
… Gray (1861-8), Wallace (1869-70), Mivart (1871-4)] Did Darwin believe in progress? [Lyell …

From morphology to movement: observation and experiment

Summary

Darwin was a thoughtful observer of the natural world from an early age. Whether on a grand scale, as exemplified by his observations on geology, or a microscopic one, as shown by his early work on the eggs and larvae of tiny bryozoans, Darwin was…

Matches: 29 hits

… Darwin was a thoughtful observer of the natural world from an early age. …
… by his early work on the eggs and larvae of tiny bryozoans, Darwin was fascinated with nature in all …
… idea of what constituted an ‘experiment’ evolved during Darwin’s lifetime (see What is an …
… later materialistic versions, notably that exemplified by Darwin’s German supporter Ernst Haeckel in …
… brought about by the conditions of existence. Darwin had read some Goethe in translation (in …
… as well as through his correspondence. Arguably, Darwin’s first extended foray into morphology was …
… (see Works in Letters: Living and fossil Cirripedia ). Darwin studied larval as well as adult …
… plants: adaptation in action As an experimenter, Darwin was guided by the concept of …
… it became a process. In his research on orchids, therefore, Darwin began by carefully working out …
… their observations on what happened to the pollen masses. Darwin continued to investigate this …
… of 1877 (see Works in Letters: Orchids ). Darwin was always hands-on in his approach, and …
… adheres to a visiting insect. Another puzzle for Darwin was the existence of nectaries with …
… the time the second edition of Orchids was published, Darwin had performed more experimental …
… types of disc. ‘If this double relation is accidental,’ Darwin concluded, ‘it is a fortunate …
… been recorded’ ( Orchids 2d ed. pp. 43-4). Darwin focused on a particular type of …
… As he observed both structural modifications and movement, Darwin began to notice the ubiquitous …
… Although morphological adaptation was the main focus in Darwin’s work on both orchids and climbing …
… were noticed as an adjunct to structural features. When Darwin returned to research on plants, …
… stage. Movement inside and out Darwin had begun researching the …
… 1860 to his botanical mentor, John Stevens Henslow, Darwin gave a detailed description of the …
… and changes of the fluid that was exuded from the tentacles, Darwin needed to ask whether the …
… Lauder Brunton, as well as his many botanical contacts. Darwin, although working from home, had …
… of fellow experimenters. Sanderson had been able to advise Darwin about many of his Drosera …
… approach even further, collaborating with his son Francis and benefitting from his association with …
… in Germany (see Works in letters: Movement in plants ). Francis spent the summers of 1878 and …
… his second summer at Sachs’s laboratory, a frustrated Francis complained to his father about Sachs’s …
… the root and prevent geotropism. In a letter to his father, Francis described his exchange with …
… with clear glass and he mentioned this in his reply to Francis , adding that he was not surprised by …
… experimental protocols to reinforce his results. He told Francis , ‘ Great man as Sachs is, I am not …

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Darwin Correspondence Project

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