From Francis Galton 24 May 1878
42 Rutland Gate
May 24/78
My dear Darwin
The enclosed “Composite Portraits” will perhaps interest you.1 The description of them is in this week’s “Nature” (p.97.)2 You will see that I have there published the letter you kindly forwarded to me from Mr. Austin of New Zealand. (To whom I am now about to write a second time.)3
Together with the villains (absit omen!)4 I send 3 of our own family ancestors which I have had made, & for which you may care to find some place somewhere. The original portraits are in the possession of Reginald Darwin and are those of our uncle Sir Francis Darwin and of our great grandfather & of our great great grandfather respectively, (as you will find written on their backs)— These take the Darwin family back for 2 centuries. There seems to be a great deal of the Darwin type in William Darwin b: 1655.5
I hear vague rumours of your wonderful investigations on the growth, &c of plants, & am eager for the time when they shall be published6
Ever sincerely yrs | Francis Galton
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Galton, Francis. 1878. Composite portraits. Nature, 23 May 1878, pp. 97–100.
Movement in plants: The power of movement in plants. By Charles Darwin. Assisted by Francis Darwin. London: John Murray. 1880.
Pearson, Karl. 1914–30. The life, letters and labours of Francis Galton. 3 vols. in 4. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Summary
Sends some "composite portraits", including three of their family ancestors, as described in Nature [18 (1878): 97–100].
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-11526
- From
- Francis Galton
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- London, Rutland Gate, 42
- Source of text
- DAR 105A: 99–100
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 11526,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-11526.xml