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Darwin in letters, 1880: Sensitivity and worms
Summary
‘My heart & soul care for worms & nothing else in this world,’ Darwin wrote to his old Shrewsbury friend Henry Johnson on 14 November 1880. Darwin became fully devoted to earthworms in the spring of the year, just after finishing the manuscript of…
Matches: 16 hits
- … to his old Shrewsbury friend Henry Johnson on 14 November 1880 . Darwin became fully devoted to …
- … my grandfather’s character is of much value to me’ ( letter to C. H. Tindal, 5 January 1880 ). …
- … have influenced the whole Kingdom, & even the world’ ( letter from J. L. Chester, 3 March 1880 …
- … of [William Alvey Darwin],’ George wrote on 28 May 1880 , ‘I … said you were anxious not to …
- … delighted to find an ordinary mortal who could laugh’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin to Charles and …
- … much powder & shot’ ( Correspondence vol. 27, letter from Ernst Krause, 7 June 1879 , and …
- … new was published). Butler wrote to Darwin on 2 January 1880 for an explanation: ‘Among the …
- … modified; but now I much regret that I did not do so’ ( letter to Samuel Butler, 3 January 1880 ). …
- … the public’ ( letter from Samuel Butler, 21 January 1880 ). He stated his case in the Athen …
- … Henrietta ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 1 February [1880] ). ‘The world will only know … that you …
- … my excitement’ ( letter from Horace Darwin to Emma Darwin, [18 September 1880] ). Darwin’s …
- … We find that the light frightens them’ ( letter to Sophy Wedgwood, 8 October [1880] ). The …
- … October 1880 ). The president of the society explained to Emma that the members of the union wished …
- … …“Come of Age”‘ ( letter from W. C. Williamson to Emma Darwin, 2 September 1880 ). In April, …
- … year was marked by the loss of several close family members. Emma’s brother Josiah Wedgwood III died …
- … Surrey, which became a regular destination for Charles and Emma, and also a site of scientific …
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: 26 hits
- … Observers Women: Letter 1194 - Darwin to Whitby, M. A. T., [12 August …
- … silkworm breeds, or peculiarities in inheritance. Letter 3787 - Darwin, H. E. to …
- … observations of cats’ instinctive behaviour. Letter 4258 - Becker, L. E. to Darwin, …
- … 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 …
- … Expression during a trip to Egypt. Letter 7223 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C., …
- … expression of emotion in her pet dog and birds. Letter 5817 - Darwin to Huxley, T. …
- … is making similar observations for him. Letter 6535 - Vaughan Williams , M. S. …
- … of a crying baby to Darwin's daughter, Henrietta. Letter 7179 - Wedgwood, …
- … 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 …
- … lakes in Pennsylvania. Letter 3681 - Wedgwood, M. S. to Darwin, [before 4 August …
- … on holiday in Llandudno. Letter 4823 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, H. E., [May 1865] …
- … any way he can. Letter 8144 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C., [5 January 1872] …
- … of hillside worm casting ridges. Letter 8169 - Wedgwood, L. to Darwin, [20 January, …
- … Letter 12389 - Johnson, M. to Darwin, [January 1880] Mary Johnson tells Darwin about her …
- … 12745 - Darwin to Wedg wood, K. E. S., [8 October 1880] Darwin asks his niece, …
- … 12760 - Wedgw ood, K. E. S. to Darwin, [15 October 1880] Darwin’s niece, Katherine …
- … Wedgwood, S. E. & J. to Darwin, [10 November 1837] Emma’s sister, Sarah, passes on …
- … E. to Darwin, W. E., [January 23rd 1887]: Emma Darwin tells her eldest son, William, …
- … publication of The Movement of Plants in 1880 and his “assistance” is proudly …
- … 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 …
- … publication of The Movement of Plants in 1880 and his “assistance” is proudly …
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
- … ‘I feel a very old man, & my course is nearly run’ ( letter to Lawson Tait, 13 February 1882 ) …
- … fertility of crosses between differently styled plants ( letter from Fritz Müller, 1 January 1882 …
- … about new varieties of sugar cane produced by grafting. In 1880, Darwin had been sent details of …
- … 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 ). …
- … sooner or later write differently about evolution’ ( letter to John Murray, 21 January 1882 ). The …
- … leaves into their burrows ( Correspondence vol. 29, letter from J. F. Simpson, 8 November 1881 …
- … on the summit, whence it rolls down the sides’ ( letter from J. F. Simpson, 7 January 1882 ). The …
- … light on it, which would have pleased me greatly’ ( letter from J. H. Gilbert, 9 January 1882, …
- … and was no longer able to take his daily strolls (Henrietta Emma Litchfield, ‘Charles Darwin’s death …
- … E. Litchfield to G. H. Darwin, 17 March 1882 (DAR 245: 319)) Emma wrote ten days later: ‘You will …
- … been a good deal plagued with dull aching in the chest’ (Emma Darwin to G. H. Darwin, [ c . 28 …
- … benefit & he escaped pain entirely yesterday’ (letter from Emma Darwin to G. H. Darwin, 6 April …
- … wrote to George, who had visited Down on 11 April (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)). ‘Father was taken …
- … H. Darwin, [19 April 1882] (DAR 245: 320)). It was left to Emma to convey the sorrowful news to his …
- … which I hope were never very violent’ ( letter from Emma Darwin to J. D. Hooker, [20 April 1882 …
- … they were the most overflowing in tenderness’ (letter from Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, 10 May 1882 …
- … was eagerly awaited by his family, including his cousin Emma Wedgwood. In long letters to her sister …
- … plied him with questions without any mercy’ ( letter from Emma Wedgwood to F. E. E. Wedgwood, [28 …
Earthworms
Summary
As with many of Darwin’s research topics, his interest in worms spanned nearly his entire working life. Some of his earliest correspondence about earthworms was written and received in the 1830s, shortly after his return from his Beagle voyage, and his…
Matches: 11 hits
- … Questions | Experiment Earthworms and Wedgwood cousins As with many of …
- … of his own family, in particular his nieces, Lucy and Sophy Wedgwood, the daughters of Emma Darwin& …
- … these two young women, even going so far as to submit Lucy Wedgwood's observations for …
- … alone. Similarly, The Power of Movements in Plants (1880) was a study of incredible empirical …
- … John Murray. Chapters 1 and 3. Letters Letter 385 - Sarah Elizabeth …
- … In his reply of two days later, Darwin wrote, “Your letter & facts are quite splendid.—I cannot …
- … request, and his gratitude for her observations. Letter 12745 - Darwin to Sophy …
- … such a case as grass roots, weeds, in a gravel path.” [ Letter 12760 , 15 October 1880] …
- … her interest in earthworms and its significance. Letter 13632 - Darwin to John …
- … QUESTIONS 1. What do you think of Darwin's letter to John Murray? What does Darwin …
- … this experiment? Can you relate your own observations to the letter selections for this module? …
Casting about: Darwin on worms
Summary
Earthworms were the subject of a citizen science project to map the distribution of earthworms across Britain (BBC Today programme, 26 May 2014). The general understanding of the role earthworms play in improving soils and providing nutrients for plants to…
Matches: 6 hits
- … book Darwin claimed had ‘much influence on my mind’ ( letter to W. T. Preyer, 17 February [1870 ]) …
- … had been inspired by observations made by his uncle, Josiah Wedgwood of the uniform structure of the …
- … at, but also to Francis Darwin playing the bassoon, and to Emma Darwin’s piano playing. From 1872, …
- … His interest in earthworms never waned, but it was not until 1880 that he began to draw together the …
- … whole soul is absorbed with worms just at present!’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton Dyer, 23 November …
- … ‘worms have much bigger souls than anyone wd suppose’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 31 January [1881] …
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: 18 hits
- … of departure reviews of Origin . The second is a single letter from naturalist A. R. Wallace to …
- … everything is the result of “brute force”. Letter 2855 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 3 …
- … nature, as he is in a “muddle” on this issue. Letter 3256 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, …
- … shares a witty thought experiment about an angel. Letter 3342 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, …
- … He asks Gray some questions about design. Letter 6167 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 8 …
- … of my precipice”. Darwin and Wallace Letter 5140 — Wallace, A. R. to Darwin, …
- … of variations. Darwin and Graham Letter 13230 — Darwin, C. R. to Graham, …
- … of people, including members of his own family. Letter 441 — Wedgwood, Emma to Darwin, …
- … about his “honest & conscientious doubts”. Letter 471 — Darwin, Emma to Darwin, C. …
- … there is a danger in giving up revelation”. Letter 2534 — Kingsley, Charles to Darwin, …
- … need of an act of intervention to bring change. Letter 2548 — Sedgwick, Adam to Darwin, …
- … with that knowledge which only He can give me.” Letter 5303 — Boole, M. E. to Darwin, C …
- … that his theory be compatible with her faith. Letter 5307 — Darwin, C. R. to Boole, M. …
- … and science should each run its own course. Letter 8070 — Darwin, C. R. to Abbot, F. E. …
- … “with qualifications”, if he wishes. Letter 8837 — Darwin, C. R. to Doedes, N. D., 2 …
- … man’s intellect, “but man can do his duty”. Letter 12041 — Darwin, C. R. to Fordyce, …
- … most correct description of my state of mind”. Letter 12757 — Darwin, C. R. to Aveling, …
- … Letter 12879 — Darwin, C. R. to Fegan, J. W. C., [Dec 1880 – Feb 1881] Darwin writes to J. W. …
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: 19 hits
- … In these notes, written shortly before his courtship with Emma, Darwin weighed the pros and cons of …
- … feminine world of family, home and sociability. Letter 489 - Darwin to Wedgwood, E., …
- … 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., …
- … of physiology at Bedford College for girls. Appealing to Emma’s “feminine sympathies”, Cresy is keen …
- … 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, …
- … which will make it more appealing to women. Letter 10746 – Darwin to Dicey, E. M., …
- … inability to cope well with the sight of blood. Letter 12389 - Johnson, M. to Darwin, …
- … to have entered the cave “since the flood”. Letter 13414 - Darwin to Harrison, L., [18 …
- … and possess strong powers of patience. Letter 13607 – Darwin to Kennard, C. A., [9 …
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: 23 hits
- … and various dissenting establishments. In the Darwin and Wedgwood households, formal adherence to …
- … & I can see it even through a grove of Palms.—’ (letter to Caroline Darwin, 25–6 April [1832] …
- … wrote to the contrary: ‘I am sorry to see in your last letter that you still look forward to the …
- … near the British Museum or some other learned place’ (letter from E. A. Darwin, 18 August [1832] …
- … it is a sort of scene I never ought to think about—’ (letter to W. D. Fox, [9–12 August] 1835 ). …
- … 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 …
- … However, what remains is cordial; in the first extant letter of the correspondence, Darwin wrote to …
- … (a local charity), which he administered from 1848 to 1869 (letter to J. B. Innes, [8 May 1848] …
- … he would make an excellent Guardian [of the Poor Fund]’ (letter to J. W. Lubbock, 28 March [1854] …
- … club the use of his own lawn for its meetings (Moore 1985; letter to J. S. Henslow, 17 January …
- … the family’s dog, Quiz, when he moved away from Down (letter to J. B. Innes, 15 December [1861] ) …
- … was considered to be a cross between a cow and a red deer (letter from J. B. Innes, 7 December …
- … ancestor. Please think of my request favourably—’ (letter from J. B. Innes, 26 May 1871 ). Indeed …
- … and leaves Moses to take care of himself. Letter from J. B. Innes, 1 December 1878 …
- … take care of the financial complications he left behind (letter from S. J. O’H. Horsman, 2 June …
- … 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 …
- … supported Fegan’s work in the village, writing in 1880 or 1881: ‘your services have done more for …
- … in the village’ (letter to J. W. C. Fegan, [December 1880 – February 1881] ). Indeed, the Darwin …
- … increase his desire to actually attend Sunday services with Emma and the children. Darwin’s life in …
Darwin’s first love
Summary
Darwin’s long marriage to Emma Wedgwood is well documented, but was there an earlier romance in his life? How was his departure on the Beagle entangled with his first love? The answers are revealed in a series of flirtatious letters that Darwin was…
Matches: 18 hits
- … Darwin’s long marriage to Emma Wedgwood is well documented, but was there an earlier romance in his …
- … Had nineteen-year-old Darwin followed this instruction in a letter he received in 1828, there would …
- … creditors) to a ruined abbey in a forest. In Fanny’s first letter, and in many others she wrote to …
- … First and last pages of the letter from Fanny Owen, [late January 1828] (DAR …
- … Penny Post (1840), envelopes were rarely used. Instead, the letter was folded and held shut with …
- … awfully dull and prosy ’. She closed her letter with instructions to ‘ burn this, or if it …
- … ) Fanny’s thanks came in a characteristic letter. Apologies for not writing sooner, were …
- … mania go on, are you as constant as ever ?’ In this letter, the postilion and housemaid are …
- … ‘ la belle Fanny ’. Letter from Fanny Owen, 27 January [1830] (DAR …
- … Darwin that she would remember him. Responding to a recent letter he had written in a ‘ Blue …
- … there was not to be an end of them!! In her last letter before the Beagle sailed, she …
- … Little wonder that Darwin felt bereft when he learned in a letter from his sister Catherine, …
- … The first and last pages of Fanny Owen’s letter of 1 March 1832 (DAR 204:55), in which Fanny …
- … cons of marriage, Darwin decided to propose to his cousin Emma Wedgwood. Their engagement letters …
- … One last opportunity arose for Darwin to see Fanny in 1880, but he was thwarted. Eight years earlier …
- … so very engaging and delightful about her.— ’ In the letter accompanying his book in 1872, Darwin …
- … Darwin in Down in 1874 , their connection lapsed until late 1880, when they met while the Darwins …
- … it appears that Darwin did live happily ever after with Emma. …