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Darwin in letters, 1863: Quarrels at home, honours abroad

Summary

At the start of 1863, Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of animals and plants under domestication, anticipating with excitement the construction of a hothouse to accommodate his increasingly varied botanical experiments…

Matches: 15 hits

… At the start of 1863 , Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of …
… markedly, reflecting a decline in his already weak health. Darwin then began punctuating letters …
… of the water-cure. The treatment was not effective and Darwin remained ill for the rest of the year. …
… of man and his history' The first five months of 1863 contain the bulk of the …
… to man’s place in nature both had a direct bearing on Darwin’s species theory and on the problem …
… from ‘some Quadrumanum animal’, as he put it in a letter to J. D. Hooker of 24[–5] February [1863 ] …
… ‘I declare I never in my life read anything grander’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 26 [February 1863 ] …
… than Origin had (see Correspondence vol. 8, letter to Charles Lyell, 10 January [1860] ). …
… origins was further increased by the discovery in March 1863 of the Moulin-Quignon jaw, the first …
… from animals like the woolly mammoth and cave bear ( see letter from Jacques Boucher de Perthes, 23 …
… in learned journals and the press during the first half of 1863 focused attention even more closely …
… made him ‘groan’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863 ] ). Darwin reiterated in a later letter …
… sentence from the second edition of Antiquity of man (C. Lyell 1863b, p. 469), published in …
… very slowly recovering, but am very weak’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, [29 September? 1863 ] ). …
… Thomas’s Hospital, London ( letter from George Busk, [ c. 27 August 1863 ] ). Brinton, who …

Darwin’s hothouse and lists of hothouse plants

Summary

Darwin became increasingly involved in botanical experiments in the years after the publication of Origin. The building of a small hothouse - a heated greenhouse - early in 1863 greatly increased the range of plants that he could keep for scientific…

Matches: 20 hits

… Towards the end of 1862, Darwin resolved to build a small hothouse at Down House, for ‘experimental …
… experimentation, and the building of the hothouse early in 1863 marked something of a milestone in …
… book (Down House MS) and Correspondence vol. 5, letter to J. D. Hooker, 19 April [1855] ). …
… Though his greenhouse was probably heated to some extent, Darwin found himself on several occasions …
… make observations and even experiments on his behalf. Darwin’s decision to build a hothouse …
… its sensitivity to touch (see Correspondence vol. 10, letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 [December …
… his employer’s hothouses over the previous two years. In a letter of 24 December [1862] ( …
… mid-February (see letters to J. D. Hooker, 13 January [1863 ] and 15 February [1863 ] ). It was …
… he had had, he would ‘probably have made a mess of it’ (letter to G. H. Turnbull, [16? February …
… adding ‘I shall keep to curious & experimental plants’ (letter to J. D. Hooker, 13 January …
… of Westerham, with whom he had dealt over many years. In his letter to Hooker, Darwin mentioned that …
… to Nurserymen’ (letter from J. D. Hooker, [15 January 1863 ] ). Darwin agreed to send Hooker his …
… have from Kew’ (letter to J. D. Hooker, 30 January [1863 ] ). Darwin probably gave his list …
… a school-boy’ (letter to J. D. Hooker, 15 February [1863 ] ). On 20 February, the plants from Kew …
… continuing: ‘Do you not think you ought to be sent with M r Gower to the Police Court?’ (William …
… had ‘4 houses of different temperatures’ (letter to W. C. Tait, 12 and 16 March [1869] , …
… which he received in mid-February (see letter from L. C. Treviranus, 12 February 1863 ). …
… The reference is to James Bateman, an orchid specialist (R. Desmond 1994). 17. Stylidium …
… C. hæmatostigma. …
… Cyanophyllum magnificum M r Low 29 | of Melastomaceæ …

Women’s scientific participation

Summary

Observers | Fieldwork | Experimentation | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a community of women who participated, often actively and routinely, in the nineteenth-century scientific community. Here is a…

Matches: 23 hits

… | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a …
… community. Here is a selection of letters exchanged between Darwin and his workforce of women …
… Observers Women: Letter 1194 - Darwin to Whitby, M. A. T., [12 August …
… silkworm breeds, or peculiarities in inheritance. Letter 3787 - Darwin, H. E. to …
… to artificially fertilise plants in her garden. Letter 4523 - Wedgwood, L. C. to …
… be made on seeds of Pulmonaria officinalis . Letter 5745 - Barber, M. E. to …
… Expression from her home in South Africa. Letter 6736 - Gray, A. & J. L …
… Egypt. Letter 7223 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C., [8 June 1867 - 72] Darwin …
… Henrietta. Letter 7179 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [5 May 1870] …
… Letter 4242 - Hildebrand, F. H. G. to Darwin, [16 July 1863 ] Hildebrand writes to …
… the wallpaper. Letter 5756 - Langton, E. & C. to Wedgwood S. E., [after 9 …
… Letter 1701 - Morris, M. H. to Prior, R. C. A., [17 June 1855] Margaretta Hare Morris …
… in Llandudno. Letter 4823 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, H. E., [May 1865] …
… Letter 4235 - Becker, L. E. to Darwin, [8 July 1863 ] Lydia Becker sends Darwin a …
… Lychnis diurna. Letter 8168 - Ruck, A. R . to Darwin, H., [20 January 1872] …
… lawn. Letter 8224 - Darwin to Ruck, A. R., [24 February 1872] Darwin …
… Letter 4139 - Darwin, W. E. to Darwin, [4 May 1863 ] William sends the results of a …
… Letter 1701 - Morris, M. H. to Prior, R. C. A., [17 June 1855] Margaretta Hare Morris …
… Letter 4258 - Becker, L. E. to Darwin, [31 July 1863 ] Lydia Becker details her …
… 4233 - Tegetmeier, W. B. to Darwin, [29 June - 7 July 1863 ] Tegetmeier updates Darwin …
… garden ”. Letter 6083 - Casparay, J. X. R. to Darwin, [2 April 1868] …
… 3896 - Darwin to Huxley, T. H, [before 25 February 1863 ] Darwin offers the results of …
… Letter 7858 - Darwin to Wa llace, A. R., [12 July 1871] Darwin tells Wallace that …

Dramatisation script

Summary

Re: Design – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig Baxter – as performed 25 March 2007

Matches: 21 hits

… Re: Design – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig …
… as the creator of this dramatisation, and that of the Darwin Correspondence Project to be identified …
… correspondence or published writings of Asa Gray, Charles Darwin, Joseph Dalton Hooker, Jane Loring …
… Actor 1 – Asa Gray Actor 2 – Charles Darwin Actor 3 – In the dress of a modern day …
… Agassiz, Adam Sedgwick, A Friend of John Stuart Mill, Emma Darwin, Horace Darwin… and acts as a sort …
… the play unfolds and acting as a go-between between Gray and Darwin, and between the audience and …
… this, he sends out copies of his Review of the Life of Darwin. At this time in his life, Asa …
… friends in England, copies of his ‘Review of the Life of Darwin’… pencilling the address so that it …
… his University) and is much less his own man. A letter from England catches his attention …
… 11 My dear Hooker… What a remarkably nice and kind letter Dr A. Gray has sent me in answer to my …
… be of any the least use to you? If so I would copy it… His letter does strike me as most uncommonly …
… on the geographical distribution of the US plants; and if my letter caused you to do this some year …
… a brace of letters 25 I send enclosed [a letter for you from Asa Gray], received …
… might like to see it; please be sure [to] return it. If your letter is Botanical and has nothing …
… Atlantic. HOOKER: 28 Thanks for your letter and its enclosure from A. Gray which …
… of your darling. BOOKS BY THE LATE CHARLES DARWIN: 1863 -1865 In which Drwin struggles …
… paragraph, in which I quote and differ from you[r] 178 doctrine that each variation has been …
… ARTS AND SCIENCES, PROCEEDINGS XVII, 1882 4 C DARWIN TO JD HOOKER 10 MAY 1848 …
… 1860 98 A GRAY TO ALPHONSE DE CANDOLLE, 16 FEB 1863 99 C DARWIN TO LYELL, …
… 1862 149 C DARWIN TO J. D. HOOKER 26 JULY 1863 150 C DARWIN TO J. D. …
… JULY 1864 160 C DARWIN TO JD HOOKER, 3 JAN 1863 161 TO ASA GRAY 13 …

Science, Work and Manliness

Summary

Discussion Questions|Letters In 1859, popular didactic writer William Landels published the first edition of what proved to be one of his best-selling works, How Men Are Made. "It is by work, work, work" he told his middle class audience, …

Matches: 12 hits

… In describing what they did using the language of labour, Darwin and his male colleagues asserted …
… 1. Which elements of the scientific process do Darwin and his male correspondents tend to …
… another's scientific work? How does this differ from how Darwin praised women's work ? …
… Letters Letter 282 - Darwin to Fox, W. D., [9 - 12 August 1835] Darwin …
… “a little reading, thinking and hammering”. Letter 1533 - Darwin to Dana, J. D., [27 …
… the labour bestowed on it are “really surprising” and Darwin hopes that Dana’s health withstood the …
… that de Bosquet has bestowed on the subject. Letter 2669 - Bunbury, C. J. F. to Darwin, …
… 134 crosses which was “no slight labour”. Letter 3901 - Darwin to Falconer, H., [5 & …
… not depleted completely his health and strength. Letter 4000 - Darwin to Dana, J. D., …
… a wonderful, indefatigable worker you are!”. Letter 4997 - Wallace, A. R. to Darwin, [4 …
… systematically to collect and arrange facts. Letter 8153 - Darwin to Darwin, W. E., [9 …
… and anxiety” involved in the editorial process. Letter 9157 - Darwin to Darwin, G. H., …

Darwin in letters, 1865: Delays and disappointments

Summary

The year was marked by three deaths of personal significance to Darwin: Hugh Falconer, a friend and supporter; Robert FitzRoy, captain of the Beagle; and William Jackson Hooker, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and father of Darwin’s friend…

Matches: 27 hits

… In 1865, the chief work on Charles Darwin’s mind was the writing of The variation of animals and …
… letters on climbing plants to make another paper. Darwin also submitted a manuscript of his …
… protégé, John Scott, who was now working in India. Darwin’s transmutation theory continued to …
… Argyll, appeared in the religious weekly, Good Words . Darwin received news of an exchange of …
… Butler, and, according to Butler, the bishop of Wellington. Darwin’s theory was discussed at an …
… in the Gardeners’ Chronicle . At the end of the year, Darwin was elected an honorary member of …
… year was marked by three deaths of personal significance to Darwin: Hugh Falconer, a friend of …
… in August. There was also a serious dispute between two of Darwin’s friends, John Lubbock and …
… The death of Hugh Falconer Darwin’s first letter to Hooker of 1865 suggests that the family …
… having all the Boys at home: they make the house jolly’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] …
… had failed to include among the grounds of the award ( see letter from Hugh Falconer to Erasmus …
… his letters to Darwin, and Darwin responded warmly: ‘Your letter is by far the grandest eulogium …
… may well rest content that I have not laboured in vain’ ( letter to Hugh Falconer, 6 January [1865] …
… always a most kind friend to me. So the world goes.—’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 2 February [1865] …
… for our griefs & pains: these alone are unalloyed’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 3 February 1865 …
… gas.— Sic transit gloria mundi, with a vengeance’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 9 February [1865] ). …
… added, ‘I know it is folly & nonsense to try anyone’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 7 January [1865] …
… ineffective, and Darwin had given it up by early July ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, [10 July 1865] …
… of anything, & that almost exclusively bread & meat’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 15 August [1865] …
… Darwin had received a copy of Müller’s book, Fü r Darwin , a study of the Crustacea with reference …
… Scott had evidently started his crossing experiments in 1863 (see Correspondence vol. 11, …
… … inheritance, reversion, effects of use & disuse &c’, and which he intended to publish in …
… vol. 11, letter from J. D. Hooker, 10 June 1863 ). However, probably the most enthusiastic …
… that Lyell in his Antiquity of man , published in 1863 , had made unacknowledged use of Lubbock’s …
… He wrote to Hooker, ‘I doubt whether you or I or any one c d do any good in healing this breach. …
… Hooker’s behalf, ‘He asks if you saw the article of M r . Croll in the last Reader on the …
… ‘As for your thinking that you do not deserve the C[opley] Medal,’ he rebuked Hooker, ‘that I …

Scientific Networks

Summary

Friendship|Mentors|Class|Gender In its broadest sense, a scientific network is a set of connections between people, places, and things that channel the communication of knowledge, and that substantially determine both its intellectual form and content,…

Matches: 13 hits

… and colonial authorities. In the nineteenth-century, letter writing was one of the most important …
… when strong institutional structures were largely absent. Darwin had a small circle of scientific …
… in times of uncertainty, controversy, or personal loss. Letter writing was not only a means of …
… section contains two sets of letters. The first is between Darwin and his friend Kew botanist J. D. …
… and he is curious about Hooker’s thoughts. Letter 729 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., …
… to Hooker “it is like confessing a murder”. Letter 736 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D. …
… wide-ranging genera. Darwin and Gray Letter 1674 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, …
… and asks him to append the ranges of the species. Letter 1685 — Gray, Asa to Darwin, C. …
… flora in the USA. Letter 2125 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 20 July [1857] Darwin …
… information exchange. Letter 1202 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., 6 Oct [1848] …
… Letter 4170 — Becker, Lydia to Darwin, C. R., 18 May 1863 This is a very formal letter …
… Letter 4258 — Becker, Lydia to Darwin, C. R., 31 July [1863] Becker has found seeds produced …
… Letter 4260a — Darwin, C. R. to Becker, L. E., 2 Aug [1863] Darwin thanks Lydia Becker for …

Referencing women’s work

Summary

Darwin's correspondence shows that women made significant contributions to Darwin's work, but whether and how they were acknowledged in print involved complex considerations of social standing, professional standing, and personal preference.…

Matches: 14 hits

… Darwin's correspondence shows that women made significant contributions to Darwin's work, …
… set of selected letters is followed by letters relating to Darwin's 1881 publication …
… work are referenced throughout Variation . Letter 2395 - Darwin to Holland, …
… her identity is both anonymised and masculinised. Letter 3316 - Darwin to Nevill, D …
… Nevill is referenced by name for her “kindness” in Darwin’s Fertilisation of Orchids . …
… being acknowledged publicly as a science critic. Letter 4370 - Wedgwood, L. C. to …
… are identified only as “friends in Surrey”. Letter 4794 - Darwin to Lyell, C., [25 …
… to state that the information was “received through Sir C. Lyell” or received from “Miss. B”. …
… was referenced in the final publication. Letter 7223 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C …
… are not cited in Expression . Letter 5817 - Darwin to Huxley, T. H., …
… description of a crying baby in Mary Barton. Letter 8321 - Darwin to …
… he would “feel the public humming” at him. Letter 7345 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, …
… near his house. Letter 8168 - Ruck, A. R. to Darwin, H., [20 January 1872] …
… worm castings . Letter 7345 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [15 June 1872] …

Inheritance

Summary

It was crucial to Darwin’s theories of species change that naturally occurring variations could be inherited. But at the time when he wrote Origin, he had no explanation for how inheritance worked – it was just obvious that it did. Darwin’s attempt to…

Matches: 8 hits

… to advance the hypothesis of Pangenesis (Charles Darwin, Variation , vol. 2, p. 357). …
… worked – it was just obvious that it did. Darwin’s attempt to describe how heredity might …
… ‘The whole subject of inheritance is wonderful’ Darwin wrote,‘When a new character arises, whatever …
… in invisible ink on the germ' ( to J. D. Hooker, 26 [March 1863 ] ). Years before he …
… Huxley was worried that its speculative nature would give Darwin’s critics ammunition, but didn’t …
… T. H. Huxley, 16 July 1865 ). 'Your last note' Darwin replied, 'made us …
… Huxley, [17 July 1865] ). He was forced to confess in a letter to Hooker , that it was indeed & …
… place,—and that I think hardly possible. ( from A. R. Wallace, 24 February 1868 ) …

Darwin in letters, 1864: Failing health

Summary

On receiving a photograph from Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 July 1864: ‘the venerable beard gives the look of your having suffered, and … of having grown older’. Because of poor health, Because of poor health, Darwin…

Matches: 22 hits

… On receiving a photograph from Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 July …
… … of having grown older’. This portrait, the first of Darwin with his now famous beard, had been …
… 52 hours without vomiting!! In the same month, Darwin began to consult William Jenner, …
… prescribed a variety of antacids and purgatives, and limited Darwin’s fluid intake; this treatment …
… the dimorphic aquatic cut-grass Leersia . In May, Darwin finished his paper on Lythrum …
… he had set aside the previous summer. In October, Darwin let his friends know that on his …
… and he received more letters of advice from Jenner. In a letter of 15 December [1864] to the …
… As Darwin explained to his cousin William Darwin Fox in a letter of 30 November [1864] , ‘the …
… leaf, and aerial roots. When his health deteriorated in 1863 , he found that he could still continue …
… gradation by which leaves produce tendrils’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [8 February 1864] ). …
… fearfully for it is a leaf climber & therefore sacred’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 2 June [1864] …
… matters which routinists regard in the light of axioms’ ( letter from Daniel Oliver, [17 March 1864 …
… long series of changes . . .’ When he told Asa Gray in a letter of 29 October [1864] that he was …
… paper was published, Darwin remarked to Hooker in a letter of 26 November [1864] that nothing …
… of the two species with the common oxlip. In a letter of 22 October [1864] , Darwin triumphantly …
… the ‘splendid case of Dimorphism’ in Menyanthes ( letter from Emma and Charles Darwin to W. E. …
… 5 September 1864 ). Fritz Müeller sent his book, Für Darwin , and Darwin had it translated by a …
… scientific debate. He had begun taking the journal in April 1863 and was an enthusiastic subscriber. …
… but Lyell says when I read his discussion in the Elements [C. Lyell 1865] I shall recant for fifth …
… and their predecessors had continued to grow following the 1863 publication of Huxley’s Evidence …
… on intellectual & moral qualities’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 28 [May 1864] ). …
… failure to win the award in the two preceding years. An 1863 letter from the president of the Royal …

Science: A Man’s World?

Summary

Discussion Questions|Letters Darwin's correspondence show that many nineteenth-century women participated in the world of science, be it as experimenters, observers, editors, critics, producers, or consumers. Despite this, much of the…

Matches: 16 hits

… Discussion Questions | Letters Darwin's correspondence show that many nineteenth …
… Letters Darwin’s Notes On Marriage [April - July 1838] In these notes, …
… theories, & accumulating facts in silence & solitude”. Darwin also comments that he has …
… an hour “with poor Mrs. Lyell sitting by”. Letter 3715 - Claparède, J. L. R. A. E. to …
… whose attractions are not those of her sex”. Letter 4038 - Darwin to Lyell, C., [12-13 …
… her own steam and is a “first rate critic”. Letter 4377 - Haeckel, E. P. A. to Darwin, …
… ornaments in the making of feminine works”. Letter 4441 - Becker, L. E. to Darwin, [30 …
… the young, especially ladies, to study nature. Letter 4940 - Cresy, E. to Darwin, E., …
… Anderson is “neither masculine nor pedantic”. Letter 6976 - Darwin to Blackwell, A. B., …
… to him as a published science author, is a man. Letter 7314 - Kovalevsky, S. to Darwin, …
… Theoriae Functionum Ellipticarum , (1829). Letter 7329 - Murray, J. to Darwin, [28 …
… to prick up what little is left of them ears”. Letter 8055 - Hennell, S. S. to Darwin, …
… almost out of a woman’s natural thinking”. Letter 8079 - Norton, S. R. to Darwin, [20 …
… but has not read the pamphlet herself. Letter 8335 - Reade, W. W. to Darwin, [16 May …
… narrative so not to lose the interest of women. Letter 8341 - Reade, W. W. to Darwin, …
… patience. Letter 13607 – Darwin to Kennard, C. A., [9 January 1882] Darwin …

Darwin in letters, 1882: Nothing too great or too small

Summary

In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous October, and for the first time in decades he was not working on another book. He remained active in botanical research, however. Building on his recent studies in plant…

Matches: 23 hits

… In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous …
… for scientific colleagues or their widows facing hardship. Darwin had suffered from poor health …
… ‘I feel a very old man, & my course is nearly run’ ( letter to Lawson Tait, 13 February 1882 ) …
… of his scientific friends quickly organised a campaign for Darwin to have greater public recognition …
… Botanical observation and experiment had long been Darwin’s greatest scientific pleasure. The year …
… fertility of crosses between differently styled plants ( letter from Fritz Müller, 1 January 1882 …
… working at the effects of Carbonate of Ammonia on roots,’ Darwin wrote, ‘the chief result being that …
… contents, if immersed for some hours in a weak solution of C. of Ammonia’. Darwin’s interest in root …
… London on 6 and 16 March, respectively. In January, Darwin corresponded with George John …
… François Marie Glaziou (see Correspondence vol. 28, letter from Arthur de Souza Corrêa, 20 …
… quite untirable & I am glad to shirk any extra labour’ ( letter to G. J. Romanes, 6 January …
… probably intending to test its effects on chlorophyll ( letter to Joseph Fayrer, 30 March 1882 ). …
… we know about the life of any one plant or animal!’ ( letter to Henry Groves, 3 April 1882 ). He …
… of seeing the flowers & experimentising on them’ ( letter to J. E. Todd, 10 April 1882 ). …
… find stooping over the microscope affects my heart’ ( letter to Henry Groves, 3 April 1882 ). …
… our homes, would in this case greatly suffer’ ( letter to C. A. Kennard, 9 January 1882 ). Kennard …
… judged, intellectually his inferior, please ( letter from C. A. Kennard, 28 January 1882 ). …
… dull aching in the chest’ (Emma Darwin to G. H. Darwin, [ c . 28 March 1882] (DAR 210.3: 45)). …
… to some Estancia,’ wrote Hughes, ‘as the scenery &c. will amply repay your trouble’ ( letter …
… where he had witnessed an earthquake in 1835 ( letter from R. E. Alison, [March–July 1835 ]). …
… ( letter from Aleksander Jelski, [1860–82] ). In 1863 , the final blow was dealt to Darwin’s …
… a fallen enemy!’ ( letter to T. F. Jamieson, 24 January [1863 ] ). From 1863 to 1865, Darwin …
… will be months before I am able to work’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, [ c . 10 April 1864] ). To …

Natural Science and Femininity

Summary

Discussion Questions|Letters A conflation of masculine intellect and feminine thoughts, habits and feelings, male naturalists like Darwin inhabited an uncertain gendered identity. Working from the private domestic comfort of their homes and exercising…

Matches: 16 hits

… thoughts, habits and feelings, male naturalists like Darwin inhabited an uncertain gendered identity …
… feminine powers of feeling and aesthetic appreciation, Darwin and his male colleagues struggled to …
… Britain? Letters Letter 109 - Wedgwood, J. to Darwin, …
… pursuit of real, professional work on his return. Letter 158 - Darwin to Darwin, R. W., …
… and taking in the aesthetic beauty of the world around him. Darwin describes the “striking” colour …
… meals, family time and walks into town with Emma. Letter 555 - Darwin to FitzRoy, R., …
… ‘ A Biographical Sketch of an Infant ’. Letter 2781 - Doubleday, H. to Darwin, [3 May …
… them in the north-facing borders of his garden. Letter 2864 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., …
… and “never saw anything so beautiful”. Letter 4230 - Darwin to Gardeners’ Chronicle, [2 …
… linked with his domestic family life. Letter 4377 - Haeckel, E. P. A. to Darwin, [2 …
… at least provide Darwin with aesthetic pleasure. Letter 4436 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., …
… he has moved one or two of them into his bedroom. Letter 4469 - Hooker, J. D. to Darwin …
… before expecting to dedicate his life to science. Letter 4472 - Hooker, J. D. to Darwin …
… duty to the public to contribute more than this. Letter 6044 - Darwin to Darwin, G. H., …
… and influence to help shape his sons’ fortunes. Letter 6046 - Weir, J. J. to Darwin, …
… on the bedroom wallpaper. Letter 10821 - Graham C. C. to Darwin, [30 January 1877] …

Scientific Practice

Summary

Specialism|Experiment|Microscopes|Collecting|Theory Letter writing is often seen as a part of scientific communication, rather than as integral to knowledge making. This section shows how correspondence could help to shape the practice of science, from…

Matches: 12 hits

… | Microscopes | Collecting | Theory Letter writing is often seen as a part of …
… the work of collecting, and the construction of theory. Darwin was not simply a gentleman naturalist …
… of the most advanced laboratory methods and equipment. Darwin used letters as a speculative space, …
… Specialism and Detail Darwin is usually thought of as a gentleman naturalist and a …
… across and drew together different fields of knowledge. But Darwin also made substantial …
… discussion was often the starting point for some of Darwin's most valuable and enduring …
… with detailed correspondence about barnacles. Letter 1514 — Darwin, C. R. to Huxley, T. …
… of one idea. – cirripedes morning & night.” Letter 1480 — Darwin, C. R. to Huxley, …
… on embryological stages than Huxley thinks. Letter 1592 — Darwin, C. R. to Huxley, T. H …
… and difficulties of botanical experimentation. Letter 4895 — Darwin, C. R. to Müller, J …
… Letter 5173 — Müller, J. F. T. to Darwin, C. R., 2 Aug 1866 Müller provides some observations …
… extract from Carl Claus, Die freilebenden Copepoden [1863]. Letter 5551 — Darwin, C …

Darwin in letters,1866: Survival of the fittest

Summary

The year 1866 began well for Charles Darwin, as his health, after several years of illness, was now considerably improved. In February, Darwin received a request from his publisher, John Murray, for a new edition of Origin. Darwin got the fourth…

Matches: 24 hits

… The year 1866 began well for Charles Darwin, as his health, after several years of illness, was now …
… and also a meeting with Herbert Spencer, who was visiting Darwin’s neighbour, Sir John Lubbock. In …
… Pound foolish, Penurious, Pragmatical Prigs’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [29 December 1866] ). But …
… all but the concluding chapter of the work was submitted by Darwin to his publisher in December. …
… hypothesis of hereditary transmission. Debate about Darwin’s theory of transmutation …
… alleged evidence of a global ice age, while Asa Gray pressed Darwin’s American publisher for a …
… able to write easy work for about 1½ hours every day’ ( letter to H. B. Jones, 3 January [1866] ). …
… once daily to make the chemistry go on better’ ( letter from H. B. Jones, 10 February [1866] ). …
… see you out with our beagles before the season is over’ ( letter from John Lubbock, 4 August 1866 …
… work doing me any harm—any how I can’t be idle’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 24 August [1866] ). …
… production of which Tegetmeier had agreed to supervise ( letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 16 January …
… of “Domestic Animals & Cult. Plants” to Printers’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 24 December [1866] …
… good deal I think, & have come to more definite views’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 December …
… ‘I quite follow you in thinking Agassiz glacier-mad’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 8[–9] September …
… you go on, after the startling apparition of your face at R.S. Soirèe—which I dreamed of 2 nights …
… so you are in for it’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [ c . 10 May 1866] ). Henrietta’s …
… by Heinrich Georg Bronn, had been published in 1860 and 1863 by the firm E. Schweizerbart’sche …
… teleological development ( see for example, letter to C. W. Nägeli, 12 June [1866] ). Also in …
… common broom ( Cytisus scoparius ) and the white broom ( C. multiflorus ) in his botanical …
… and June on the subject of Rhamnus catharticus (now R. cathartica ). Darwin had become …
… of separate sexes. William gathered numerous specimens of R. catharticus , the only species of …
… replied with a modified list, adding Fritz Müller’s Fü r Darwin , and a recent fossil discovery in …
… selection, and with special creation ( letter from W. R. Grove, 31 August 1866 ). Hooker later …
… their father’s death in 1848 until Catherine married in 1863 . Catherine had written shortly before …

Darwin in letters, 1860: Answering critics

Summary

On 7 January 1860, John Murray published the second edition of Darwin’s Origin of species, printing off another 3000 copies to satisfy the demands of an audience that surprised both the publisher and the author. It wasn't long, however, before ‘the…

Matches: 22 hits

… 7 January 1860, John Murray published the second edition of Darwin’s Origin of species , printing …
… surprised both the publisher and the author. One week later Darwin was stunned to learn that the …
… the book, thinking that it would be nice easy reading.’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 22 May [1860] ). …
… his views. ‘One cannot expect fairness in a Reviewer’, Darwin commented to Hooker after reading an …
… he told Hooker, did not at all concern his main argument ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 January [1860] …
… but ‘unfair’ reviews that misrepresented his ideas, Darwin began to feel that without the early …
… it was his methodological criticism in the accusation that Darwin had ‘deserted the inductive track, …
… from right principles of scientific investigation.—’ ( letter to J. S. Henslow, 8 May [1860] ). …
… was a hypothesis, not a theory, therefore also displeased Darwin. Comparing natural selection to the …
… a theory solely by explaining an ample lot of facts.’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 18 February [1860] ). …
… phenomena it comes in time to be admitted as real.’ ( letter to C. J. F. Bunbury, 9 February [1860] …
… issue of Macmillan’s Magazine . Fawcett asserted that Darwin’s theory accorded well with John …
… induction, ratiocination, and then verification. Darwin and his critics Specific …
… the origin of life itself, which the theory did not address. Darwin chose to treat this as an …
… natural selection did not necessarily lead to progression ( letter to Charles Lyell, 18 [and 19 …
… considered it more a failure than a success ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, 14 February [1860] ). …
… naturalists because more accustomed to reasoning.’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 18 May 1860 ). …
… two physiologists, and five botanists ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 March [1860] ). Others, like …
… tail, whenever I gaze at it, makes me sick!’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 3 April [1860] ). By the …
… favour of change of form’, namely those of embryology ( letter to Asa Gray, 10 September [1860] ). …
… his study of the geographical distribution of species ( see letter from T. H. Huxley, 6 August 1860 …
… ‘man is in same predicament with other animals’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 10 January [1860] )— he …

Darwin in letters, 1867: A civilised dispute

Summary

Charles Darwin’s major achievement in 1867 was the completion of his large work, The variation of animals and plants under domestication (Variation). The importance of Darwin’s network of correspondents becomes vividly apparent in his work on expression in…

Matches: 28 hits

… Charles Darwin’s major achievement in 1867 was the completion of his large work, …
… couple of months were needed to index the work, a task that Darwin handed over to someone else for …
… and animals ( Expression ), published in 1872. Although Darwin had been collecting material and …
… A global reputation The importance of Darwin’s network of correspondents becomes vividly …
… who might best answer the questions, with the result that Darwin began to receive replies from …
… Variation would be based on proof-sheets received as Darwin corrected them. Closer to home, two …
… Charles Fleeming Jenkin, challenged different aspects of Darwin’s theory of transmutation as …
… orchids are fertilised by insects ( Orchids ). While Darwin privately gave detailed opinions of …
… capable hands of Alfred Russel Wallace. At the same time, Darwin was persuaded by some German …
… suppose abuse is as good as praise for selling a Book’ ( letter to John Murray, 31 January [1867] …
… to the printer, but without the additional chapter. In a letter written on 8 February [1867] to …
… books, Descent and Expression . In the same letter , Darwin revealed the conclusion to his …
… variation of animals and plants under domestication . In a letter to his son William dated 27 …
… Vorlesungen über den Menschen (Lectures on man; Vogt 1863 ) from German into French. With a …
… of his brother’s embryological papers with his first letter to Darwin of 15 March 1867 , although …
… . Indeed, he told his publisher, John Murray, in a letter of 4 April [1867] , not to send …
… tell me, at what rate your work will be published’ ( letter from J. V. Carus, 5 April 1867 ). This …
… & sent to him, he may wish to give up the task’ ( letter to Carl Vogt, 12 April [1867] ). …
… fit person’ to introduce the work to the German public ( letter from J. V. Carus, 15 April 1867 ). …
… Vogt should translate my book in preference to you’ ( letter to J. V. Carus, 18 April [1867] ). …
… varieties at the eye, which resulted in a mottled hybrid ( letter from Robert Trail, 5 April 1867 …
… see your second volume on “The Struggle for Existence &c.” for I doubt if we have a sufficiency …
… “supplemental remarks on expression”’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, [12–17] March [1867] ). Darwin’s …
… aviary to see whether this was the case ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 24 February [1867] ). He also …
… level. In his response to Wallace ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 26 February [1867] ), Darwin defended …
… to the work I shall find it much better done by you than I c d have succeeded in doing’ ( letter …
… I have not a word to say against it but such a view c d hardly come into a scientific book’ ( …
… Wallace published a long article, ‘Creation by law’ (A. R. Wallace 1867c), which responded to Jenkin …

Floral Dimorphism

Summary

Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment Floral studies In 1877 Darwin published a book that included a series of smaller studies on botanical subjects. Titled The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species, it consisted primarily of…

Matches: 12 hits

… | Experiment Floral studies In 1877 Darwin published a book that included a …
… with the Linnaean Society. In his autobiography Darwin commented on the joy this work gave him: …
… by only a few persons." These botanical studies also gave Darwin an opportunity to collaborate …
… The materials in this teaching module highlight Darwin’s relationships with two of his closest …
… by Jim Endersby that reflects on the role of sympathy in Darwin's work and in his friendship …
… years previous to the publication of that work, highlighting Darwin’s ability to carry out themes …
… SOURCES Book Darwin, C. R. 1877. The different forms of flowers on plants of the …
… Dimorphic Plants: Primulaceae Letters Letter Packet: Floral Dimorphism …
… and the appearance of his new Orchid book. Letter 3515 - Daniel Oliver to Darwin, 23 …
… find anything distinctly dimorphic in the Oxalis. Letter 3757 - Joseph Dalton Hooker to …
… on the difference between his scientific abilities and Darwin’s and notes what he perceives to be …
… family, his personal health, and his botanic work all in one letter ? Why or why not? …

Darwin in letters, 1844–1846: Building a scientific network

Summary

The scientific results of the Beagle voyage still dominated Darwin's working life, but he broadened his continuing investigations into the nature and origin of species. Far from being a recluse, Darwin was at the heart of British scientific society,…

Matches: 23 hits

… results of the Beagle voyage still dominated Darwin's working life, but throughout these …
… species and varieties. In contrast to the received image of Darwin as a recluse in Down, the letters …
… Down House was altered and extended to accommodate Darwin’s growing family and the many relatives …
… The geological publications In these years, Darwin published two books on geology, Volcanic …
… papers for all these organisations. Between 1844 and 1846 Darwin himself wrote ten papers, six of …
… Government grant was exhausted ( Correspondence vol. 2, letter to A. Y. Spearman, 9 October 1843, …
… not (it is like confessing a murder) immutable Darwin’s earlier scientific friendships …
… friends, with the addition of Hooker, were important to Darwin for—among other things—they were the …
… scientific issues that arose out of his work on species. Darwin discussed his ideas on species …
… Only two months after their first exchange, early in 1844, Darwin told Hooker that he was engaged in …
… are not (it is like confessing a murder) immutable’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [11 January 1844] ). …
… correspondence that his close friends were not outraged by Darwin’s heterodox opinions and later in …
… But although eager for the views of informed colleagues, Darwin was naturally protective of his …
… the essay of 1844 to read (see Correspondence vol. 4, letter to J. D. Hooker, 8 [February 1847]) …
… candidate, known to be working on species and varieties, was Darwin himself: as he told his cousin …
… the book to him. But, as his letters to Hooker show, Darwin carefully considered and then rejected …
… Natural selection Perhaps the most interesting letter relating to Darwin’s species theory, …
… to his wife Emma, dated 5 July 1844 , just after Darwin had completed the final draft of his …
… who would undertake to see the work through the press. Darwin also listed possible editors: at first …
… on the work. But the list was subsequently altered after Darwin’s second, and possibly third, …
… Darwin not only used his personal notes and records but, by letter , marshalled the resources of …
… of the laws of creation, Geographical Distribution’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [10 February 1845] ) …
… with drawings of his first dissection. The barnacle—‘M r Arthrobalanus’ in Hooker’s and Darwin’s …

Bibliography of Darwin’s geological publications

Summary

This list includes papers read by Darwin to the Geological Society of London, his books on the geology of the Beagle voyage, and other publications on geological topics. Author-date citations refer to entries in the Darwin Correspondence Project’s…

Matches: 12 hits

… This list includes papers read by Darwin to the Geological Society of London, his books on the …
… topics. Author-date citations refer to entries in the Darwin Correspondence Project’s cumulative …
… given to reprints available in John van Wyhe ed., Charles Darwin’s shorter publications, 1829-1883 …
… numbers refer to R. B. Freeman’s standard bibliography of Darwin’s works. —Extracts from …
… of His Majesty’s Ship Beagle, commanded by Capt. FitzRoy, R.N. Proceedings of the Geological …
… FitzRoy RN, during the years 1832 to 1836 . By Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1842. …
… F1660.] —Remarks on the preceding paper, in a letter from Charles Darwin, Esq., to Mr. …
… FitzRoy RN, during the years 1832 to 1836. By Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1844. …
… FitzRoy RN, during the years 1832 to 1836. By Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1846. …
… Ayres. Proceedings of the Geological Society 19 (1863 ): 68-71. [ Shorter publications , pp. …
… History of Science 24: 133–57. Stoddart, David R. 1976. Darwin, Lyell, and the geological …
… On the history of geology: Greene, Mott C. 1982. Geology in the nineteenth century . …

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Darwin Correspondence Project

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