To L. C. Wedgwood 8 June [1867–72]
Summary
Asks her to observe whether her dog exposes his teeth when barking and to think of any facts about expression in her birds.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Lucy Caroline Wedgwood; Lucy Caroline Harrison |
| Date: | 8 June [1867-72] |
| Classmark: | CUL (Add 4251: 334) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7223 |
From Karl von Scherzer 21 November 1867
Summary
Sends copy of book containing measurements taken of individuals of different races during voyage of Novara [Karl Heinrich von Scherzer, ed., Reise der Fregatte "Novara", Anthropologischer Theil (1867)].
Asks for scientific advice concerning newly planned expedition.
Says Carl Vogt plans to use data from book in lectures.
| Author: | Karl von Scherzer |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 21 Nov 1867 |
| Classmark: | DAR 177: 49 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5691 |
From John Lubbock 27 October [1867]
Summary
Wants information on Fuegian harpoons. Must prepare second edition of Prehistoric times.
| Author: | John Lubbock, 4th baronet and 1st Baron Avebury |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 27 Oct [1867] |
| Classmark: | DAR 170: 59 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-6433 |
To W. B. Tegetmeier 30 March [1867]
Summary
Believes beauty of male bird important for attracting mate in wild. Will be interested to hear how a dyed male pigeon is received by the hens.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Bernhard Tegetmeier |
| Date: | 30 Mar [1867] |
| Classmark: | Archives of the New York Botanical Garden (Charles Finney Cox Collection) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5475 |
From Anton Dohrn 30 November 1867
Summary
Pleased by CD’s letter; his object was to apply CD’s principles to the reform of zoology. When this is done, it is wonderful to see how improved one’s understanding of the Crustacea (Arthropoda) becomes. Cites examples.
| Author: | Felix Anton (Anton) Dohrn |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 30 Nov 1867 |
| Classmark: | DAR 162: 203 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5701 |
From Salt & Sons 17 July 1867
Summary
Discusses proposed sale of house and provision for Wynne, the gardener, and his wife.
| Author: | Salt & Sons |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 17 July 1867 |
| Classmark: | DAR 177: 10 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5583 |
From A. R. Wallace 11 March [1867]
Summary
ARW responds to CD’s list of queries about expression. Suggests acquiring informants through publishing the queries in newspapers. His doubts about their importance.
Has submitted caterpillar question to Entomological Society.
| Author: | Alfred Russel Wallace |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 11 Mar [1867] |
| Classmark: | DAR 106: B24, B45; DAR 82: A22 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5437 |
To William Turner 11 February [1867]
Summary
Thanks WT for information.
Will not include chapter on man in Variation but plans separate essay in future.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Turner |
| Date: | 11 Feb [1867] |
| Classmark: | DAR 148: 155 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5398 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871. Expression : The expression of the emotions in …
To Charles Lyell 18 July [1867]
Summary
Chapter 12 [of Variation] finished;
too late to include information on six-fingered men. Plans for book on man [Descent].
Mentions coral reefs of Tahiti.
Discusses volcanic islands; volcanoes of the Cordillera.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Lyell, 1st baronet |
| Date: | 18 July [1867] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.331) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5584 |
To John Murray 27 January [1867]
Summary
Hopes JM’s friend will give his judgment [on Variation] soon; and urges JM to come to a decision about publishing. CD believes it will have "a fair sale".
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | John Murray |
| Date: | 27 Jan [1867] |
| Classmark: | National Library of Scotland (John Murray Archive) (Ms.42152 ff. 153–154) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5379 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871. Freeman, Richard Broke. 1977. The works …
To A. R. Wallace 29 April [1867]
Summary
Comments on ARW’s view of colouring in relation to sexual selection and protection. It is not new to CD. Hopes to discuss subject fully in his "Essay on Man" [Descent]. As to the problem of brightly coloured females, CD is not satisfied that it is due to males taking over incubation. Admires "value and beauty" of ARW’s generalisations.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Alfred Russel Wallace |
| Date: | 29 Apr [1867] |
| Classmark: | The British Library (Add 46434, f. 84) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5517 |
To Alfred Newton 23 January [1867]
Summary
Thanks for the information about the male plumage. [See 5374.] Will look to the papers in Ibis to which AN has referred him. He finds AN’s theory captivating.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Alfred Newton |
| Date: | 23 Jan [1867] |
| Classmark: | DAR 185: 88 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5376A |
Matches: 1 hit
- … and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871. …
From Edward Blyth [2–30 March 1867]
Summary
Discussion of origin of domestic sheep races. Some comments on the yak and the wild ancestors of the llama and alpaca.
| Author: | Edward Blyth |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [2–30 Mar 1867] |
| Classmark: | DAR 160: 208 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5337 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871. Nowak, Ronald M. 1999. Walker’s mammals …
To A. R. Wallace 26 February [1867]
Summary
ARW’s explanation of protective value of conspicuous coloration is ingenious.
CD still holds to sexual selection with respect to beauty in male butterflies.
Sexual selection and the races of man.
Expression of emotions is another subject he plans to include in his essay [Descent].
Asks ARW to suggest an observer in Malay Archipelago to whom he might send queries [on expression].
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Alfred Russel Wallace |
| Date: | 26 Feb [1867] |
| Classmark: | The British Library (Add 46434, f. 76) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5420 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871. Expression : The expression of the emotions in …
To B. J. Sulivan 15 January [1867]
Summary
Thanks BJS for W. H. Stirling’s answers [to queries about expression]
and for information on cattle and breeding of dogs.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Bartholomew James Sulivan |
| Date: | 15 Jan [1867] |
| Classmark: | Sulivan family (private collection) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5365 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871. Expression : The expression of the emotions in …
To Albert Charles Lewis Gotthilf Günther 7 December [1867]
Summary
Sends his photograph.
Asks for any information of well-marked sexual differences in snakes, batrachians, or lizards. The rattlesnakes at the Zoological Garden differ considerably in colour.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Albrecht Carl Ludwig Gotthilf (Albert) Günther |
| Date: | 7 Dec [1867] |
| Classmark: | Shrewsbury School, Taylor Library |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5710 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871. Scherren, Henry. 1905. The Zoological …
From Alfred Newton 1 March 1867
Summary
Male dotterels take care of young and are less brilliantly coloured than females.
| Author: | Alfred Newton |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 1 Mar 1867 |
| Classmark: | DAR 84.1: 28–9 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5426 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871. …
From W. B. Tegetmeier 29 March 1867
Summary
Answers CD’s queries about polygamous birds. Does not think appearance of cock makes any difference to female. Dyeing the male has no effect on female.
| Author: | William Bernhard Tegetmeier |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 29 Mar 1867 |
| Classmark: | DAR 84.1: 30–1 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5473 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871. …
To Roland Trimen 24 December [1867]
Summary
Invites RT to come to Down for a week-end.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Roland Trimen |
| Date: | 24 Dec [1867] |
| Classmark: | Royal Entomological Society (Trimen papers, box 21: 61) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5739 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … CD’s letters to Trimen between 1863 and 1871, and a commentary on their relationship, see …
From Roland Trimen 31 December 1867
Summary
On ocelli.
Sexual differences and proportion of sexes in butterflies.
Coleoptera.
[See Descent 1: 310; 2: 132.]
| Author: | Roland Trimen |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 31 Dec 1867 |
| Classmark: | DAR 82: A30–1 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5744 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871. Poulton, Edward Bagnall. 1920. Roland …
| letter | (71) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (35) |
| Wallace, A. R. | (5) |
| Blyth, Edward | (3) |
| Bates, H. W. | (2) |
| Günther, Albert | (2) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (35) |
| Wallace, A. R. | (7) |
| Newton, Alfred | (3) |
| Turner, William | (3) |
| Kingsley, Charles | (2) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (70) |
| Wallace, A. R. | (12) |
| Newton, Alfred | (5) |
| Blyth, Edward | (4) |
| Müller, Fritz | (4) |
Darwin in letters, 1871: An emptying nest
Summary
The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, with the publication in February of his long-awaited book on human evolution, Descent of man. The other main preoccupation of the year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression.…
Matches: 30 hits
- … The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, seeing the …
- … promotes the sale’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 26 March 1871 ). The profits for Darwin were …
- … first two printings, Darwin wrote to Murray on 20 March 1871 , ‘It is quite a grand trade to be a …
- … in memory of the book’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, 20 March 1871 ). Reaction …
- … to read it ( letter from James Crichton-Browne, 19 February 1871 ). The African explorer and …
- … pleasant or not’ (letter from W. W. Reade, 21 February 1871). The geologist William Boyd Dawkins …
- … to buy them’ ( letter from W. B. Dawkins, 23 February 1871 ). Thomas Henry Huxley marvelled that …
- … tide-marks!’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 20 February 1871 ). Asa Gray remarked, somewhat …
- … and pointed ears” (letter from Asa Gray, 14 April 1871) Like his previous book, …
- … arms and legs ( letter from C. L. Bernays, 25 February 1871 ). Samples of hair arrived from …
- … his head ( letter from W. B. Tegetmeier, [before 25 April 1871] )). Hinrich Nitsche, ‘the lucky …
- … orang-utan foetus ( letter from Hinrich Nitsche, 18 April 1871 ). Darwin thought he might use the …
- … poor return’ ( letter to Hinrich Nitsche, 25 April [1871] ). Animal anecdotes appeared in …
- … space each morning ( letter from Arthur Nicols, 7 March 1871 ; letter from B. J. Sulivan, 11 …
- … of beauty ( letter from E. J. Pfeiffer, [before 26 April 1871] ). Roland Trimen, a long-time …
- … in the past ( letter from Roland Trimen, 17 and 18 April 1871 ). Candid disagreement …
- … were raised to a high pitch, as Innes wrote on 26 May 1871 about the darker races arising …
- … as far as this goes’ ( letter to J. B. Innes, 29 May [1871] ). On religion and morality …
- … Creator made it’ ( letter from George Morrish, 18 March 1871 ). Darwin received an anonymous …
- … Descent ( letter from a child of God, [after 24 February 1871] ). Yet some continued to …
- … religious feeling’ ( letter from F. E. Abbot, 20 August 1871 ). The Anglican clergyman and …
- … brethren’ ( letter from George Henslow, 5 December 1871 ). Ernst Haeckel boasted of his month …
- … monkey !’ ( letter from Ernst Haeckel, 21 December 1871 ). Descent was extensively …
- … independent of all times and all circumstances’ (8 April 1871, p. 5). Darwin condemned the author of …
- … & classics’ ( letter to John Murray, 13 April [1871] ). But a similar point was made by …
- … the killing of some members of a hive a duty (Cobbe 1871, pp. 174, 188–9). Darwin was particularly …
- … by culture, not biology ( letter from John Morley, 30 March 1871 ). Reaction at home …
- … its master. ( Letter from Hensleigh Wedgwood, [3–9 March 1871] .) Some of Darwin’s …
- … to me’ ( letter to Hensleigh Wedgwood, 9 March 1871 ). A widening rift By far the …
- … 1871a), which appeared just prior to Descent in early 1871. ‘I daresay it will tell heavily …
Darwin’s queries on expression
Summary
When Darwin resumed systematic research on emotions around 1866, he began to collect observations more widely and composed a list of queries on human expression. A number of handwritten copies were sent out in 1867 (see, for example, letter to Fritz Muller…
Matches: 14 hits
- … Blair, R.H. 11 July 1871 Worcester College for the …
- … Brooke, C.A.J. 30 April 1871 Sarawak, Borneo …
- … Chaumont, F.S.B.F. de 11 March 1871 Woolston, …
- … Crichton-Browne, James 3 April 1871 West Riding …
- … Donders, F.C. 28 March 1871 Utrecht, Netherlands …
- … Foster, Michael 4 June [1871] Trinity College, …
- … Gray, Asa 14 April 1871 Cambridge, Massachusetts, …
- … Gray, Asa 10 & 14 March [1871] Cambridge, …
- … Mivart, G.J. 26 Jan 1871 North Bank, London, England …
- … Reade, Winwood W. 1 Feb 1871 11 St Mary Abbot's …
- … Rejlander, O.G. [1871] Victoria Street, London, …
- … Smith, Andrew 1 Feb. 1871 11 Saint Mary Abbot's …
- … Smith, Andrew 17 April 1871 16 Alexander Square, …
- … Swinhoe, Robert 14 March 1871 33 Oakley Square, …
Frank Chance
Summary
The Darwin archive not only contains letters, manuscript material, photographs, books and articles but also all sorts of small, dry specimens, mostly enclosed with letters. Many of these enclosures have become separated from the letters or lost altogether,…
Matches: 6 hits
- … first is undated but we know it was written before 25 April 1871 because Darwin alluded to a case …
- … report by the pigeon-fancier W. B. Tegetmeier, 25 April [1871] . In his letter Chance is …
- … (Letter from Frank Chance, [before 25 April 1871] ) Responding to this meticulous self …
- … were very rare. When we were editing volume 19 (1871), Chance’s enclosure of beard and …
- … : In your work on the ""Descent of Man"" (ed. 1871) ii. 298, 299, in …
- … followed up on a similar case that CD had observed on 13 May 1871. William’s letter of 5 June 1871 …
4.17 'Figaro', unidentifiable 1871
Summary
< Back to Introduction Yet another portrayal of Darwin as a tree-dwelling ape was published in The Figaro in October 1871, and titled ‘A Darwinian hypothesis’. The image survives in a torn page in the Darwin archive, but it has so far proved…
Darwin’s favourite photographer: From O. G. Rejlander, 30 April 1871
Summary
In the 1860s Darwin began collecting photographs of emotional expression. They seemed to capture fleeting movements of the face, and allowed him to observe with more detachment. But the technology was still new. Even under the best conditions, exposure…
Matches: 1 hits
- … In the 1860s Darwin began collecting photographs of emotional expression. They seemed to capture …
Animals, ethics, and the progress of science
Summary
Darwin’s view on the kinship between humans and animals had important ethical implications. In Descent, he argued that some animals exhibited moral behaviour and had evolved mental powers analogous to conscience. He gave examples of cooperation, even…
Matches: 3 hits
Henrietta Emma Darwin
Summary
Henrietta “Etty” Darwin (1843–1927) was the eldest of Charles Darwin’s daughters to reach adulthood. She married Richard Buckley Litchfield in 1871. She was a valued editor to her father as well as companion and correspondent to both of her parents.…
Cross and self fertilisation
Summary
The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom, published on 10 November 1876, was the result of a decade-long project to provide evidence for Darwin’s belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells us, in the most emphatic manner, that she abhors…
Matches: 4 hits
- … of self-fertilisation’ ( To J. D. Hooker, 23 July [1871] ). Darwin also informed Müller of this …
- … in his hothouse ( To Fritz Müller, 2 August [1871] ). By late 1871, Darwin was already …
- … generations’ ( To Federico Delpino, 22 November 1871 ). Delpino replied that he looked forward to …
- … and horticulture ( From Federico Delpino, 5 December 1871 ). When Darwin began writing in February …
Darwin and the Church
Summary
The story of Charles Darwin’s involvement with the church is one that is told far too rarely. It shows another side of the man who is more often remembered for his personal struggles with faith, or for his role in large-scale controversies over the…
Matches: 5 hits
- … [1850] and n. 6; and letter to J. B. Innes, 29 May [1871] ). Their true friendship does …
- … request favourably—’ (letter from J. B. Innes, 26 May 1871 ). Indeed Innes had such a high …
- … school and organ funds (letter to J. B. Innes, 13 January 1871 ). Down’s next clergyman …
- … very dull sermons’ (letter to J. B. Innes, 18 January [1871] ). Mr Powell was happy to take up …
- … qualifications’ (letter from J. B. Innes, 5 June 1871 ). Particularly in the early days of …
Moral Nature
Summary
In Descent of Man, Darwin argued that human morality had evolved from the social instincts of animals, especially the bonds of sympathy and love. Darwin gathered observations over many decades on animal behavior: the heroic sacrifices of social insects,…
Matches: 8 hits
- … Letter 7048 : Darwin, W. E., to Darwin, C. R., [April? 1871] In Descent of man (1: 71 …
- … Letter 7645 : Morley, John to Darwin, 30 March 1871 The politician and man of letters, …
- … of Descent of Man in the Pall Mall Gazette (Morley 1871). Darwin admired the review, and …
- … Letter 7685 : Darwin to Morley, John, 14 April [1871] "When I speak of intellectual …
- … Letter 7691 , Morley, John, to Darwin, 17 April 1871 "I don't think Mr. Mill& …
- … 7470 : Wedgwood, Hensleigh to Darwin, [before 3 March 1871] Darwin exchanged long letters …
- … Letter 7537 : Darwin, C. R. to Wenslow, Hensleigh, 3 March [1871] Using the example of …
- … 3. [ available at Darwinonline ] Cobbe, F. P. 1871. 'Darwinism in morals'. …
Strange things sent to Darwin in the post
Summary
Some of the stranger things Darwin received in the post can tell us a lot about how Darwin worked at home. In 1863, Darwin was very excited when the ornithologist Alfred Newton sent him a diseased, red-legged partridge foot with an enormous ball of clay…
Darwin and vivisection
Summary
Darwin played an important role in the controversy over vivisection that broke out in late 1874. Public debate was sparked when the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals brought an unsuccessful prosecution against a French physiologist who…
Matches: 3 hits
Experimenting with emotions
Summary
Darwin’s interest in emotions can be traced as far back as the Beagle voyage. He was fascinated by the sounds and gestures of the peoples of Tierra del Fuego. On his return, he started recording observations in a set of notebooks, later labelled '…
Henrietta Darwin's diary
Summary
Darwin's daughter Henrietta kept a diary for a few momentous weeks in 1871. This was the year in which Descent of Man, the most controversial of her father's books after Origin itself, appeared, a book which she had helped him write. The small…
Matches: 8 hits
- … wrote the following journal entries in March and July 1871 in a small lockable, leather-bound …
- … by Henrietta herself. Darwin’s letters in 1870 and 1871 ( Correspondence , vols 18 and 19) …
- … missions due to take place between 26 February and 5 March 1871 in four towns within the deanery of …
- … from Charles and Emma Darwin to F. J. Wedgwood, [March 1871?], and letter from F. J. Wedgwood to H. …
- … University Library. Henrietta Darwin | March 1871 1871 March— Sea Grove …
- … away what they have no equivalent for. July 4th 1871. How hard it is to wait—the …
- … I think I am a very happy woman. Sunday July 9 th . 1871 I want to think why I shd …
- … mission leaders in the Hampshire Advertiser , 21 January 1871, p. 7. 4 Probably John …
William Winwood Reade
Summary
On 19 May 1868, an African explorer and unsuccessful novelist, William Winwoode Reade (1838–1875) offered to help Darwin, and started a correspondence and, arguably, a collaboration, that would last until Reade's death. After a first 1861 tour of…
Matches: 1 hits
- … of it" – Winwood Reade to Charles Darwin, 31 January 1871 ) and sought Darwin’s advice on …
Women as a scientific audience
Summary
Target audience? | Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's letters, in particular those exchanged with his editors and publisher, reveal a lot about his intended audience. Regardless of whether or not women were deliberately targeted as a…
Matches: 5 hits
- … Letter 7624 - Bathoe, M . B. to Darwin, [25 March 1871] Mary Bathoe responds …
- … Letter 7644 - Barnard, A. to Darwin, [30 March 1871] J. S. Henslow’s daughter, …
- … 7651 - Wedgwood, F. J. to Darwin, H. E., [1 April 1871] Frances Wedgwood offers …
- … 7411 - Pfeiffer, E. J. to Darwin, [before 26 April 1871] The poet Emily Pfeiffer …
- … Letter 8055 - Hennell, S. S. to Darwin, [7 November 1871] Sarah Hennell writes to Darwin …
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…
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,…
Matches: 1 hits
- … of sexual differences in viviparous fish, [before 1 June 1871] Fritz Müller's …
Capturing Darwin’s voice: audio of selected letters
Summary
On a sunny Wednesday in June 2011 in a makeshift recording studio somewhere in Cambridge, we were very pleased to welcome Terry Molloy back to the Darwin Correspondence Project for a special recording session. Terry, known for his portrayal of Davros in Dr…
Matches: 1 hits
- … politely worded rebuke to St G. J. Mivart ( 21 April [1871] ) for the inadequacies, as Darwin saw …
Have you read the one about....
Summary
... the atheistical cats, or the old fogies in Cambridge? We've suggested a few - some funny, some serious - but all letters you can read here.
Matches: 1 hits
- … ... the atheistical cats, or the old fogies in Cambridge? We've suggested a few - some funny, some …
