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Darwin in letters, 1868: Studying sex
Summary
The quantity of Darwin’s correspondence increased dramatically in 1868 due largely to his ever-widening research on human evolution and sexual selection.Darwin’s theory of sexual selection as applied to human descent led him to investigate aspects of the…
Matches: 27 hits
- … On 6 March 1868, Darwin wrote to the entomologist and accountant John Jenner Weir, ‘If …
- … The quantity of his correspondence increased dramatically in 1868; the increase was due largely to …
- … and his immediate circle of friends and relations. In July 1868 Darwin was still anticipating that …
- … and not too much’ ( letter to Albert Günther, 15 May [1868] ). My book is horribly …
- … as early as 1865, the two-volume work appeared in January 1868. A final delay caused by the indexing …
- … look rather blank’ ( letter from W. S. Dallas, 8 January 1868 ). Darwin sympathised, replying on …
- … fairly nauseated’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 February [1868] ). But such worries were laid to …
- … was clearly impressed by Lewes’s reviews. On 7 August 1868 , he wrote him a lengthy letter from …
- … not behind my back’ ( letter to John Murray, 25 February [1868] ). Wallace commiserated: ‘I am …
- … to the paper’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 24 February [1868] ). The review was in fact by John …
- … a veritable ass’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 1 September [1868] ). I am bothered with …
- … Yorkshire, wrote of the colour of duck claws on 17 April 1868 . The letter was addressed to ‘the …
- … Commons than any assembly in the world’ (from ?, 6 April 1868). On 21 May , Darwin complained to …
- … breeder, who apologised in a letter of 11–13 May 1868 for his ‘voluminuous zeal’, and offered …
- … changes in the canary (letters from J. J. Weir, [26] March 1868 and 3 June 1868 ). ‘It was …
- … clear that I have none’ ( letter to J. J. Weir, 30 May [1868] ). Sexual selection …
- … ratios was scanty, and he spent much of the first half of 1868 collecting facts on this question, …
- … may be gained’ ( letter to H. T. Stainton, 21 February [1868] ). From the beginning, Darwin had …
- … males getting wives’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 25 February [1868] ). Yet a number of Darwin’s …
- … the American entomologist Benjamin Dann Walsh on 25 March 1868 . Wallace maintained that males …
- … entomologists ( letter from Roland Trimen, 20 February 1868 , and letter from Robert MacLachlan, …
- … in attracting females. J. J. Weir reported on 14 April 1868 that a bullfinch had piped a German …
- … odour sexual!’ ( letter to A . R. Wallace, 16 September [1868] ). Francis sought additional advice …
- … Langton wrote from the south of France to Sarah Elizabeth Wedgwood on 9 Novembe r, describing …
- … and received a number of reports from family members. Emma Darwin’s niece, Cicely Mary Hawkshaw, …
- … old daughter Katherine ( letter from C. M. Hawkshaw to Emma Darwin, 9 February [1868] ). Darwin’s …
- … other national papers, and within a few days Darwin and Emma were receiving letters of …
Darwin’s queries on expression
Summary
When Darwin resumed systematic research on emotions around 1866, he began to collect observations more widely and composed a list of queries on human expression. A number of handwritten copies were sent out in 1867 (see, for example, letter to Fritz Muller…
Matches: 29 hits
- … for ease of distribution sometime in late 1867 or early 1868. Darwin went over his questions, …
- … in Ceylon, wrote the botanist George Thwaites on 22 July 1868 , “all endeavour to drill their …
- … Scottish botanist John Scott wrote from Calcutta, 4 May 1868 : “Shame is … expressed by an …
- … Bulmer, J 13 Aug 1868 [Gipps Land, nr. Flemington? …
- … Bunnett, Templeton 13 Aug 1868 Echuca, Australia …
- … Darwin, W.E. [after 29 March 1868] Chester Place, …
- … Darwin, W.E. [7? April 1868] Southampton, England …
- … Darwin, W.E. [22? April 1868] Southampton, England …
- … Forbes, David 26 March 1868 Boulton, England (about …
- … Geach, F.F. April 1868 Johore, Malaysia …
- … Glenie, S.O. 22 July 1868 Peradeniya, Ceylon …
- … Glenie, S.O. [July 1868] Trincomalee, Ceylon …
- … Hagenauer, J.A. 13 Aug 1868 Flemington, Australia …
- … Hawkshaw, Cicely Mary (to ED) 9 Feb 1868 Liphook, …
- … Hooker, J.D. 5 Sept 1868 Kew, London (about Nagasaki …
- … Abbey Place, London, England letter to Emma Darwin baby expression …
- … Penmaenmawr, Conway, Wales letter to Emma Darwin infant daughter …
- … Lacy, Dyson [before 13 Aug 1868] [Queensland, …
- … Lane, H.B. 13 Aug 1868 Belfast, Australia? …
- … Lang, Archibald G. 13 Aug 1868 [Coranderrk, …
- … Muller, Fritz 30 Jan [1868] Itajahy, Santa Catharina …
- … Reade, Winwood W. 23 May 1868 Conservative Club, …
- … Scherzer, Karl Von 20 Oct 1868 Ministry of Commerce, …
- … Scott, John 4 May 1868 Royal Botanic Gardens, …
- … Smyth, R. Brough 13 Aug 1868 Flemington, Australia …
- … Speedy, J. 29 Sept 1868 Freshwater, Isle of Wight, …
- … Swinhoe, Robert 4 Aug 1868 British Legation, Peking, …
- … Thwaites, G.H.K. 1 Apr 1868 Peradeniya, Ceylon …
- … Walsh, B.D. 25 March 1868 Rock Island, Illinois, USA …
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: 14 hits
- … Letter 5817 - Darwin to Huxley, T. H., [30 January 1868] Darwin asks Thomas Huxley to …
- … her observations on the expression of emotion in dogs with Emma Darwin. Letter 8676 …
- … New Zealand. Letter 6453 - Langton, E. to Wedgwood, S. E., [9 November 1868] …
- … Letter 5756 - Langton, E. & C. to Wedgwood S. E., [after 9 November 1868] Darwin …
- … Letter 6139 - Doubleday, H. to Darwin, [22 April 1868] Doubleday responds to Darwin’s …
- … E. to Darwin, W. E., [January 23rd 1887]: Emma Darwin tells her eldest son, William, …
- … Letter 6046 - Weir, J. J. to Darwin, [24 March 1868] John Weir describes experiments …
- … Letter 6083 - Casparay, J. X. R. to Darwin, [2 April 1868] Casparay details his …
- … Letter 6139 - Doubleday, H. to Darwin, [22 April 1868] Naturalist Henry Doubleday …
- … E. to Darwin, W. E. , (March, 1862 - DAR 219.1:49) Emma Darwin updates her son, William, …
- … is a great critic”, thought the article worth reprinting, Emma was less convinced. Letter …
- … Letter 6046 - Weir, J. J. to Darwin, [24 March 1868] John Weir describes experiments …
- … Letter 6066 - Weir, H. W. to Darwin, [28 March 1868] Harrison Weir passes on …
- … Letter 6081 - Darwin to Bowman, W., [2 April 1868] Darwin requests surgeon and …
Dining at Down House
Summary
Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment Dining, Digestion, and Darwin's Domestic Life While Darwin is best remembered for his scientific accomplishments, he greatly valued and was strongly influenced by his domestic life. Darwin's…
Matches: 9 hits
- … In addition to sharing a tender relationship with his wife Emma, Darwin played an active role in the …
- … traveling on horseback while ill. Letter 465 —Emma Wedgwood (Emma Darwin) to Charles …
- … agreeable” for her sake. Letter 3626 —Emma Darwin to T. G. Appleton, 28 June [1862] …
- … on the difficulties of finding a suitable cook. Emma Darwin to Henrietta Darwin, [4 …
- … among other things, for Darwin’s complaints. Emma Darwin to Henrietta Darwin, [14 April …
- … Scottish medium, Daniel Dunglass Home, with Galton. Emma Darwin to Henrietta Darwin, [4 …
- … taste of Darwin's life at Down House, recreate recipes from Emma Darwin's cookbook and …
- … food that Darwin ate, using authentic recipes from his wife Emma Darwin’s cookbook. Our menu …
- … were particularly intrigued by this letter written from Emma to Charles before they were married …
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: 6 hits
- … made up of meals, family time and walks into town with Emma. Letter 555 - Darwin to …
- … microscopical spherical bodies found on flowers which Emma had gathered and brought into the house …
- … Letter 6044 - Darwin to Darwin, G. H., [24 March 1868] Darwin relays his discussion with …
- … Letter 6046 - Weir, J. J. to Darwin, [24 March 1868] John Weir describes experiments he …
- … Letter 6139 - Doubleday, H. to Darwin, [22 April 1868] Doubleday details his experiments …
- … in his home. Letter 6453 - Langton, E. to Wedgwood, S. E., [9 November 1868] …
What did Darwin believe?
Summary
What did Darwin really believe about God? the Christian revelation? the implications of his theory of evolution for religious faith? These questions were asked again and again in the years following the publication of Origin of species (1859). They are…
Matches: 20 hits
- … into such territory in this letter to a stranger. Emma Darwin In what is …
- … matters many years earlier with his cousin and fiancée, Emma Wedgewood. In their correspondence, …
- … but we gain a sense of what the couple discussed from Emma’s words to him: My reason …
- … It is clear from other correspondence that one of Emma’s most cherished beliefs was in an afterlife. …
- … she means so in eternity. There is a marked tension in Emma’s letter between reason and feeling, and …
- … to himself, and allowed his differences of belief with Emma to remain for the most part submerged. …
- … members of the Darwin family, offer a fuller perspective on Emma’s religious beliefs. The documents …
- … over Scriptural or doctrinal authority, as a foundation for Emma’s views. They also show that Emma’s …
- … was another important religious tradition in the Darwin and Wedgwood families. Josiah Wedgwood, who …
- … Unitarian school in Shrewsbury. The circle with whom he and Emma socialised when in London included …
- … were regular guests of Darwin’s brother Erasmus, and of Emma’s brother, Hensleigh Wedgwood and his …
- … liturgy. But we know, from Francis Darwin’s comments, that Emma used to make the family turn round …
- … to recite the creed, with its Trinitarian formula. Emma’s copy of the New Testament, …
- … to have been inauthentic, or added by later authors. Emma’s Bible also contains some …
- … as practical’. Some of the Biblical commentary that Emma and Charles read in this period …
- … written to Charles several months after their marriage, Emma suggests an appreciation for earnest …
- … nature and to revelation, like the openness that Charles and Emma so valued between each other–this …
- … Variation in animals and plants under domestication (1868); or on the origin of human races in …
- … through his early discussions on religion and science with Emma, to his publications on evolution, …
- … campaigner for women’s rights. Darwin, Charles. 1868. Variation of animals and plants under …
Religion
Summary
Design|Personal Belief|Beauty|The Church Perhaps the most notorious realm of controversy over evolution in Darwin's day was religion. The same can be said of the evolution controversy today; however the nature of the disputes and the manner in…
Matches: 8 hits
- … Letter 6167 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 8 May [1868] Darwin writes to Gray about his review …
- … members of his own family. Letter 441 — Wedgwood, Emma to Darwin, C. R., [21–22 Nov …
- … conscientious doubts”. Letter 471 — Darwin, Emma to Darwin, C. R., [c. Feb 1839] …
- … 6223 — Horsman, S. J. H. to Darwin, C. R., 2 June [1868] Horsman attempts to convince Darwin …
- … Letter 6241 — Innes, J. B. to Darwin, C. R., 13 June 1868 J. B. Innes, vicar of Down writes …
- … Letter 6486 — Darwin, C. R. to Innes, J. B., 1 Dec 1868 Darwin writes to J. B. Innes, vicar …
- … Letter 6492 — Innes, J. B. to Darwin, C. R., 4 Dec 1868 J. B. Innes, vicar of Down provides …
- … Letter 6501 — Innes, J. B. to Darwin, C. R., 12 Dec 1868 J. B. Innes, vicar of Down is …
Darwin and the Church
Summary
The story of Charles Darwin’s involvement with the church is one that is told far too rarely. It shows another side of the man who is more often remembered for his personal struggles with faith, or for his role in large-scale controversies over the…
Matches: 13 hits
- … and various dissenting establishments. In the Darwin and Wedgwood households, formal adherence to …
- … the late 1830s, and in correspondence with his fiancée, Emma Wedgwood, in 1838 and 1839, as can be …
- … of England. The whole family took the sacrament, although Emma used to make the children turn around …
- … and Charles were buried; later Darwin’s brother Erasmus, Emma’s sister Sarah, Emma herself, and …
- … church involvement can be attributed to the influence of Emma, whose religious scruples are …
- … a cow and a red deer (letter from J. B. Innes, 7 December 1868 ). Innes had a tendency to tease …
- … he left behind (letter from S. J. O’H. Horsman, 2 June [1868] ). Among the reasons justifying his …
- … the church’s organ fund (letter to J. B. Innes, 15 June [1868] ). So embroiled in this process …
- … the Down parish church (letter to J. B. Innes, 1 December 1868 ). Darwin wrote of the next …
- … Ffinden strongly disapproved of the Darwins. In his eyes, Emma’s Unitarian leanings and Darwin’s …
- … schools in this period, the Down school was Anglican. Emma wished it to be used as a reading room …
- … even altered the habits of the household in order to allow Emma and the children to attend his …
- … increase his desire to actually attend Sunday services with Emma and the children. Darwin’s life in …
Women as a scientific audience
Summary
Target audience? | Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's letters, in particular those exchanged with his editors and publisher, reveal a lot about his intended audience. Regardless of whether or not women were deliberately targeted as a…
Matches: 9 hits
- … E. to Darwin, W. E. , (March 1862 - DAR 219.1:49) Emma Darwin updates her eldest son, …
- … to Darwin, E., [8 November 1872] Ann Cupples asks Emma to pass on thanks to Darwin for …
- … Letter 5861 - Blyth, E. to Darwin, [11 February 1868] Zoologist Edward Blyth sends …
- … Letter 5928 - Gray, A. to Darwin, [25 February 1868] American naturalist Asa Gray …
- … Letter 6040 - Haeckel, E. P. A. to Darwin, [23 March 1868] Haeckel informs Darwin …
- … Letter 6110 - Samuelson, J. to Darwin, [10 April 1868] James Samuel, editor of …
- … Letter 6126 - Binstead, C. H. to Darwin, [17 April 1868] Charles Binstead, “an …
- … Letter 6237 - Bullar, R. to Darwin, [9 June 1868] Rosa Bullar reports a case of a …
- … Letter 6335 - Innes, J. B. to Darwin, [31 August 1868] John Innes reports that he has …
Darwin in letters, 1871: An emptying nest
Summary
The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, with the publication in February of his long-awaited book on human evolution, Descent of man. The other main preoccupation of the year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression.…
Matches: 3 hits
Darwin in letters, 1876: In the midst of life
Summary
1876 was the year in which the Darwins became grandparents for the first time. And tragically lost their daughter-in-law, Amy, who died just days after her son's birth. All the letters from 1876 are now published in volume 24 of The Correspondence…
Matches: 11 hits
- … life in Down House measured by the ongoing tally of his and Emma’s backgammon games. ‘I have won, …
- … expressed in the pangenesis hypothesis, first published in 1868 ( Variation 2: 357–404). Others …
- … was never far away in the Darwin family. In April, while Emma was suffering from a feverish cold, …
- … In the same month, Darwin heard that his sister Caroline Wedgwood continued to languish in …
- … associated with a happy event. On 7 September, Charles and Emma became grandparents for the first …
- … have heart to go on again . . . I cannot conceive Emma and Charles exhibited a practical …
- … August to be with her daughter at the time of the birth, and Emma was unimpressed by her. ‘The more …
- … word she says’, she confided to Henrietta (letter from Emma Darwin to H. E. Litchfield, [31 August …
- … ability to console Francis after Amy’s death gained Emma’s respect. ‘She is always able to speak’, …
- … of Darwin’s recently completed autobiography (letter from Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, [13 September …
- … & his wife (very pleasing) & a Prof. Romer came to lunch’, Emma Darwin reported to Leonard …
Virginia Isitt: Darwin’s secretary?
Summary
In an undated and incomplete draft letter to a “Miss I.”, Emma Darwin appears to be arranging for Miss I. to come to Down for a trial period as a secretary. When the letter first came to light, no one had heard of the mysterious “Miss I.” and, as far as we…
Matches: 5 hits
- … an undated and incomplete draft letter to a “Miss I.”, Emma Darwin appears to be arranging for Miss …
- … 95), helped to date the draft and identify Miss I. Emma wrote to her daughter Henrietta on 17 …
- … had recently married. So, it is possible that he and Emma were more than usually receptive to the …
- … Darwins themselves had met Tennyson on the Isle of Wight in 1868. Reading between the lines, it …
- … we don’t know how the experiment worked out. According to Emma Darwin’s diary, Miss Isitt arrived on …
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: 5 hits
- … oxlip ( P. elatior ), and published his results in an 1868 article (‘Illegitimate offspring of …
- … garden, taking notes by dictation. His niece Lucy Caroline Wedgwood sent observations of …
- … household news, were sometimes written by Darwin’s wife, Emma, or by Henrietta. Darwin’s own replies …
- … case of Dimorphism’ in Menyanthes ( letter from Emma and Charles Darwin to W. E. Darwin, [20 …
- … he saw few people outside the family and, according to Emma Darwin’s diary and his own ‘Journal’, …
Discussion Questions and Essay Questions
Summary
There are a wide range of possibilities for opening discussion and essay writing on Darwin’s correspondence. We have provided a set of sample discussion questions and essay questions, each of which focuses on a particular topic or correspondent in depth.…
Matches: 3 hits
- … in relation to private or personal life? [Charles Lyell, Emma Wedgwood, W. D. Fox (1830s)] How …
- … and earlier), Wallace on the selection of sterility (1868), Wallace on sexual selection (1869-70)] …
- … and human society? [In different human races (David Forbes, 1868, W. Reade, 1870-1) As a product of …
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: 4 hits
- … illness and delay, the book was not published until January 1868. 'Climbing plants' …
- … manuscript was published as chapter 27 of Variation in 1868. The wider debate …
- … attending school, and spent some time travelling in Europe (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242), Emma …
- … people weren’t so foolish’;. In November, Darwin and Emma visited Erasmus in London ( …
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: 4 hits
- … Several correspondents, such as his cousin Hensleigh Wedgwood and Heinrich Georg Bronn, expressed …
- … level. Describing her husband’s current enthusiasm, Emma Darwin wrote to Mary Lyell: ‘At present he …
- … suppose he hopes to end in proving it to be an animal.’ ( Emma Darwin 2: 177). As was so …
- … fatal illness never far from their minds, Charles and Emma did whatever they could to promote Etty’s …
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: 3 hits
Darwin’s reading notebooks
Summary
In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished to read in Notebook C (Notebooks, pp. 319–28). In 1839, these lists were copied and continued in separate notebooks. The first of these reading notebooks (DAR 119…
Matches: 10 hits
- … 1833] (Boot) Leslie life of Constable [Leslie 1843]. (Emma) (read) M rs Fry’s Life …
- … 1851]. Packard. A Guide to the Study of Insects 1868. U. States [Packard 1868–9] (an …
- … Public Library. 3 ‘Books … Read’ is in Emma Darwin’s hand. 4 “”Traité …
- … 6 The text from page [1v.] to page [6] is in Emma Darwin’s hand and was copied from Notebook C, …
- … to old Aristotle.’ ( LL 3: 252). 10 Emma Darwin wrote ‘7 th ’ instead of “3 d “ …
- … 12 A mistranscription for ‘Entozoa’ by Emma Darwin. See Notebook C, p. 266 ( Notebooks ). …
- … wrote ‘Transact’ to replace ‘Journal’ written in Emma Darwin’s hand. 16 Emma Darwin …
- … The text from page [1a] to half way down page [5a] is in Emma Darwin’s hand and is a copy of CD’s …
- … in ink by CD. 73 This entry was written by Emma Darwin. 74 “8 … …
- … 2 vols. London. 119: 5a Packard, Alpheus Spring. 1868–9. Guide to the study of …
