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Darwin Correspondence Project

To Otto Kratz   8 September [1871]1

Down, | Beckenham, Kent.

Sept. 8th

Dear Sir

I thank you sincerely for your kindness in writing to me & sending me the curious photographs.2 I had heard of a family of hairy persons at the Burmese court, & have given full details about them in my work (Vol 2) on the Variation of Animals & Plants under Domestication.3 Judging from the Photographs your photographs were taken from this […] & it is an exaggeration that a race is thus characterised

Footnotes

The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from Otto Kratz, 12 July 1871.
See letter from Otto Kratz, 12 July 1871 and n. 1. Three cartes de visite of abnormally hairy people, printed in New Orleans, and one signed carte de visite of CD, by George Charles Wallich were offered for sale with this letter. According to the catalogue description, CD enclosed a signed portrait photograph of himself as a ‘very poor return’ for the favour.

Summary

Thanks for sending the photographs of hairy people at the Burmese court.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-7926F
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
Otto Kratz
Sent from
Down
Source of text
Christie’s (dealers) (2005)
Physical description
ALS inc

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 7926F,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-7926F.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 19

letter