Darwin’s correspondence sheds light on a community of women who participated - often routinely - in the nineteenth-century scientific community. In the correspondence women can be found making observations, conducting experiments, undertaking fieldwork, editing texts, providing samples and engaging in critical discussion about Darwin’s works.

Darwin’s attitude towards women’s scientific and intellectual capabilities was complex, as were the varied motivations which lay behind the scientific participation of his female correspondents.

See also

• Correspondence with women
• Mary Treat including the audio interview with Professor Tina Gianquitto
• Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
• Mary Boole
• George Eliot
• Henrietta Darwin
• The Gender section in 'Scientific Networks', part of the 'Letters as a Primary Source' materials