From William Spottiswoode 10 July 1878
Combe Bank | Sevenoaks
10 July 1878
Dear Mr Darwin,
I am very sorry that you have been troubled by this Mr Pinker; especially as we hoped that we had prevented his applying to you.—1 He wrote some time ago to the managers of the R.I. to the effect that a Mr Willett of Brighton had commissioned him to execute a bust of you, which would be presented to the R.I, if the managers would use their influence to induce you to sit, & would accept the work when completed. The managers (having no knowledge of the sculptor, nor any communication from Mr Willet) declined to interfere in the matter. In fact they looked upon the whole project as one originating with Mr Pinker for his own purposes.
Mr Pinker called upon me after receiving his answer; & I then verbally explained that the managers did not thereby decline beforehand to accept any offer of a donation, or to receive any work of his; but that they did not think it right without very strong reason to intrude upon your time & privacy which are so essential to your health & to science.—2 This he has transformed into something else.— The RI. would of course be proud to possess a bust of you; but we do not think that this is the way to go to work; & I strongly counsel your having nothing to do with it.
very sincerely yrs | W Spottiswoode
Footnotes
Summary
Writes about [H. R. Hope-]Pinker, who tried to approach CD via the Royal Institution in order to sculpt a bust of him. WS advises against agreeing to sit for him.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-11599
- From
- William Spottiswoode
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Sevenoaks
- Source of text
- DAR 177: 237
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 11599,” accessed on 23 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-11599.xml