To J. D. Hooker 21 February [1870]
Summary
Has read the notes on Rond [Round] Island which he owes to JDH. What an enigma its flora and fauna present, especially the problem of monocotyledons! Asks JDH’s opinion.
A new book on St Helena confirms CD’s observations.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
| Date: | 21 Feb [1870] |
| Classmark: | DAR 94: 164–6 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7115 |
Matches: 9 hits
- … To J. D. Hooker 21 February [1870] …
- … DAR 94: 164–6 Charles Robert Darwin Down 21 Feb [1870] Joseph Dalton Hooker …
- … on the summit of Round Island ( Barkly 1870 , p. 101). CD refers to The geology of St …
- … Bibliography Barkly, Henry. 1870. Notes on the flora and fauna of Round …
- … Mauritius almanac and colonial register for 1870. Edited by John B. Kyshe. Mauritius: [ …
- … 30 December 1869 and published in the Mauritius almanac and colonial register for 1870 ( …
- … Barkly 1870 ). The proof-sheets, corrected by Barkly and annotated by CD, are in the …
- … Erasmus Alvey Darwin from 5 March to 12 March 1870 ( Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)). Round …
- … to 14, the established norms in the tropics being 1 to 5 ( Barkly 1870 , p. 95). Barkly …
From W. E. Darwin [c. 17 February 1870]
Summary
Ask whether CD would like to subscribe again to National Education League. Describes the League’s goals.
| Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [c. 17 Feb 1870] |
| Classmark: | Cornford Family Papers (DAR 275: 36) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7039F |
Matches: 6 hits
- … From W. E. Darwin [ c. 17 February 1870] …
- … DAR 275: 36) William Erasmus Darwin Southampton [ c. 17 Feb 1870] Charles Robert Darwin …
- … Bill was introduced on 17 February 1870 ( Hansard parliamentary debates 3d ser. , …
- … vol. 199 (1870), cols. 438–98). …
- … It was enacted on 9 August 1870 (33 & 34 Vict. , c. 75). No record has been found of any …
- … p. 7; he had donated £20 ( National Education League Monthly Paper , January 1870, p. 12). …
From H. E. Darwin [after 8 February 1870]
Summary
Responds to note about the MS [Descent] with great interest and promises to obey his instructions. [See 7124.]
| Author: | Henrietta Emma Darwin; Henrietta Emma Litchfield |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [after 8 February 1870] |
| Classmark: | DAR 245: 33b |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7112F |
Matches: 5 hits
- … From H. E. Darwin [after 8 February 1870] …
- … Emma Darwin/Henrietta Emma Litchfield Genoa [after 8 February 1870] Charles Robert Darwin …
- … this letter and the letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] . See letter to H. …
- … E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] . Henrietta refers to the manuscript of Descent. From the …
- … E. Darwin to Emma Darwin, 17 February 1870 (DAR 245: 33a), it seems that Henrietta was in …
From G. H. Darwin [3 February 1870 or earlier]
Summary
Conveys some information on a quiet horse which CD may be able to purchase from a riding school.
| Author: | George Howard Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [3 Feb 1870 or earlier] |
| Classmark: | DAR 210.2: 14 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7091 |
To W. D. Fox 18 February [1870]
Summary
Invites WDF to visit.
Describes activities of his children.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | William Darwin Fox |
| Date: | 18 Feb [1870] |
| Classmark: | Isle of Wight Record Office (Ac 2008/79) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7113 |
Matches: 7 hits
- … To W. D. Fox 18 February [1870] …
- … Record Office (Ac 2008/79) Charles Robert Darwin Down 18 Feb [1870] William Darwin Fox …
- … this letter and the letter from W. D. Fox, 15 February [1870] . See letter from W. …
- … D. Fox, 15 February [1870] . CD stayed with his brother, Erasmus Alvey …
- … Anne Street, London, from 5 to 10 March 1870 (CD’s ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)). George Howard …
- … honours in the natural sciences tripos in 1870, and then studied medicine at St George’s …
- … E. Darwin to Emma Darwin, 1 February [1870] (DAR 245: 31)). CD also refers to Elizabeth …
From Robert Swinhoe 10 February 1870
Summary
Asks who the gentleman is who is studying cattle skulls; RS has some that he would like examined.
| Author: | Robert Swinhoe |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 10 Feb 1870 |
| Classmark: | DAR 177: 334 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7102 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … From Robert Swinhoe 10 February 1870 …
- … DAR 177: 334 Robert Swinhoe London, Oakley Square, 33 10 Feb 1870 Charles Robert Darwin …
- … See letter from Robert Swinhoe, 2 February 1870 . The reference has not been identified. …
- … 33 Oakley Square SW. 10 February, 1870. My dear M r . Darwin, I must apologise for …
From Robert Swinhoe 2 February 1870
Summary
Sends a copy of Notes and Queries for Francis Galton, as it contains a reply to Galton’s circular on hereditary genius.
RS much refreshed by his trip to Down.
| Author: | Robert Swinhoe |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 2 Feb 1870 |
| Classmark: | DAR 177: 333 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7095 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … From Robert Swinhoe 2 February 1870 …
- … DAR 177: 333 Robert Swinhoe London, Oakley Square, 33 2 Feb 1870 Charles Robert Darwin …
- … DAR 242), Albert Günther , Alfred Newton , and Swinhoe came to Down on 22 January 1870. …
- … 33 Oakley Square. SW. 2 Feb y . 1870. My dear M r . Darwin, You told me the other day that …
- … had visited Down from 22 to 24 January 1870 ( Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)). Galton …
To Henrietta Emma Darwin [8 February 1870]
Summary
Sends MS [of chs. 3 and 4, "Comparison of the mental powers of man and the lower animals", Descent] to HED for her criticism. CD fears parts are too much like a sermon; "who wd ever have thought I shd turn parson?"
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Henrietta Emma Darwin; Henrietta Emma Litchfield |
| Date: | [8 Feb 1870] |
| Classmark: | The British Library (Add MS 58373: 1–2) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7124 |
Matches: 6 hits
- … To Henrietta Emma Darwin [8 February 1870] …
- … 2) Charles Robert Darwin Down [8 Feb 1870] Henrietta Emma Darwin/Henrietta Emma Litchfield …
- … see letter to W. D. Fox, 18 February [1870] and n. 10). She had also read the proof- …
- … Emma Darwin to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] (DAR 219.9: 72), in which Emma says she …
- … Descent at least since she left England in January 1870 ( letter from Emma Darwin to H. …
- … E. Darwin, [18 January 1870] (DAR 219.9: 69)). With this letter CD had presumably sent …
To James Orton 24 February [1870]
Summary
Thanks JO for his The Andes and the Amazon.
Is sorry he has failed to get any information on the horse’s tooth.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | James Orton |
| Date: | 24 Feb [1870] |
| Classmark: | University of Oklahoma Libraries History of Science Collections |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7116 |
Matches: 7 hits
- … To James Orton 24 February [1870] …
- … History of Science Collections Charles Robert Darwin Down 24 Feb [1870] James Orton …
- … The year is established by the reference to Orton 1870 (see n. 2, below). …
- … CD refers to Orton 1870 , and to his own Journal of researches. …
- … There is an annotated copy of Orton 1870 in the Darwin Library–CUL (see Marginalia 1: …
- … most respectfully dedicated. ’ See Orton 1870 , pp. 55–84. Orton had sent CD a tooth from …
- … Garland Publishing. 1990. Orton, James. 1870. The Andes and the Amazon; or, across the …
From M. S. Mostyn Owen 7 February [1870]
Summary
CD’s goddaughter, Maud, has been christened.
| Author: | Mary Susan Parker; Mary Susan Mostyn Owen |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 7 Feb [1870] |
| Classmark: | DAR 173: 46 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7098 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … From M. S. Mostyn Owen 7 February [1870] …
- … Susan Parker/Mary Susan Mostyn Owen Astley, Shrewsbury 7 Feb [1870] Charles Robert Darwin …
- … letter and the letter from M. S. Mostyn Owen, 2 February [1870] . See letter from M. …
- … S. Mostyn Owen, 2 February [1870] . CD’s letter to Mostyn Owen has not been found. …
From John Lubbock 27 February [1870]
Summary
Suicide is rare among savages [see Descent 1: 94].
| Author: | John Lubbock, 4th baronet and 1st Baron Avebury |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 27 Feb [1870] |
| Classmark: | DAR 80: 166–7 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7118 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … From John Lubbock 27 February [1870] …
- … Lubbock, 4th baronet and 1st Baron Avebury High Elms 27 Feb [1870] Charles Robert Darwin …
- … 1773 ). The entry for Monday 14 February 1870 in Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242) reads, ‘In …
- … relationship between this letter and the letter to John Lubbock, 26 February [1870] . See …
- … letter to John Lubbock, 26 February [1870] . CD’s note has not been found. Lubbock refers …
From Fritz Müller 16 February 1870
Summary
Sends specimens of Passiflora and seeds for T. H. Farrer [letter enclosed with 7188].
| Author: | Johann Friedrich Theodor (Fritz) Müller |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 16 Feb 1870 |
| Classmark: | Linnean Society of London |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7108 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … From Fritz Müller 16 February 1870 …
- … Johann Friedrich Theodor (Fritz) Müller Santa Catharina 16 Feb 1870 Charles Robert Darwin …
- … at least they are from wild, not hybridised plants. Fritz Müller Itajahy, Febr. 16. 1870. …
- … of Müller’s letter and the seeds to Farrer with his letter to Farrer of 13 [May 1870] . …
From George Howard Darwin [1 February 1870 or earlier]
Summary
Discusses buying a horse [for CD].
| Author: | George Howard Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [1 Feb 1870 or earlier] |
| Classmark: | DAR 210.2: 13 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7090 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … From George Howard Darwin [1 February 1870 or earlier] …
- … Howard Darwin London, Arlington St, 14 [1 Feb 1870 or earlier] Charles Robert Darwin …
- … the letter from G. H. Darwin, [3 February 1870 or earlier] , and on the assumption that …
- … been written on a Wednesday (2 February 1870 was a Wednesday). Fourteen Arlington Street, …
- … Darwin to H. E. Darwin, [21–2 February 1870] (DAR 251: 2243); Emma Darwin’ s diary (DAR …
From Vladimir Onufrievich Kovalevsky 20 February [1870]
Summary
Moritz Wagner is going to attack selection theory in his new book on his travels in America [Naturwissenschaftliche Reisen im tropischen Amerika (1870)].
K. G. Semper may attack CD’s theory of coral islands.
| Author: | Vladimir Onufrievich Kovalevsky (Владимир Онуфриевич Ковалевский) |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 20 Feb [1870] |
| Classmark: | DAR 169: 60 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7114 |
Matches: 6 hits
- … From Vladimir Onufrievich Kovalevsky 20 February [1870] …
- … Kovalevsky (Владимир Онуфриевич Ковалевский) Munich 20 Feb [1870] Charles Robert Darwin …
- … Reisen im tropischen Amerika (1870)]. K. G. Semper may attack CD’s theory of coral …
- … she was there between May 1869 and mid-1870 ( Koblitz 1983 , pp. 88, 97). The Titonic or …
- … Kovalevsky refers to Karl Gottfried Semper, Moritz Wagner , and M. Wagner 1870 . In …
- … M. Wagner 1870 , p. 434, Wagner claimed, in opposition to CD, that isolation was the …
From Alfred Newton 11 February 1870
Summary
Is glad to hear that CD is pleased with AN’s notice of his work on pigeons.
He will not soon forget the pleasure of his visit to Down.
| Author: | Alfred Newton |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 11 Feb 1870 |
| Classmark: | DAR 172: 48 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7103 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … From Alfred Newton 11 February 1870 …
- … DAR 172: 48 Alfred Newton Magdalene College, Cambridge 11 Feb 1870 Charles Robert Darwin …
- … Magd: Coll: 11 Feb r . 1870. My dear M r . Darwin, The gratification of which you are …
- … letter to Alfred Newton, 9 February [1870] . CD refers to Newton’s notice of Variation , …
- … visited Down between 22 and 24 January 1870 ( Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)). Rarae aves : …
From William Swale 16 February [1870?]
Summary
Sends CD some notes on the habits of the "American Blight Bird" in New Zealand.
| Author: | William Swale |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 16 Feb [1870?] |
| Classmark: | DAR 177: 324 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7109 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … From William Swale 16 February [1870? ] …
- … William Swale Avonside Botanic Garden, Christchurch 16 Feb [1870? ] Charles Robert Darwin …
- … London: John Murray. 1859. Taylor, Richard. 1870. Te ika a Maui. London: W. Macintosh. …
- … placed it in Luscinidae (see Taylor 1870 , p. 608). Two articles were published on …
- … Zealand Institute 2 (1869): 61–2, and 3 (1870): 79. According to the second article, the …
To V. O. Kovalevsky 22 February [1870]
Summary
"I have received a very large box full of beautiful tea from Russia yesterday … my life is as regular & monotonous as a clock.
I make sure, but wofully slow progress, with my new book."
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Vladimir Onufrievich Kovalevsky (Владимир Онуфриевич Ковалевский) |
| Date: | 22 Feb [1870] |
| Classmark: | J. A. Stargardt (dealers) (17 March 1995); Swann Auction Galleries (dealers) (1 October 1953) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13060 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … To V. O. Kovalevsky 22 February [1870] …
- … 1953) Charles Robert Darwin Down 22 Feb [1870] Vladimir Onufrievich Kovalevsky (Владимир …
- … London: John Murray. 1871. Kupffer, Carl. 1870. Die Stammverwandtschaft zwischen Ascidien …
- … letter from V. O. Kovalevsky, 20 February [1870] and n. 1. Kovalevsky visited Down from …
- … confirming Kovalevsky’s discovery was Kupffer 1870 . CD discussed the findings in Descent …
From Asa Gray 14 February 1870
Summary
Louis Agassiz’s ill health means AG will not get an answer to CD’s query from him. Suggests CD ask Agassiz’s son, Alexander.
Has no details about the origin of the cat-like behaviour of his dog.
| Author: | Asa Gray |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 14 Feb 1870 |
| Classmark: | DAR 165: 173 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7105 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … From Asa Gray 14 February 1870 …
- … DAR 165: 173 Asa Gray Cambridge, Mass. 14 Feb 1870 Charles Robert Darwin …
- … CD’s letter to Gray of 27 January 1870 has not been found. See also letter from J. …
- … L. Gray, 14 February 1870 . Louis Agassiz suffered a severe breakdown after giving an …
- … from Asa Gray, 27 February and 1 March 1870 . Louis Agassiz’s son Alexander was travelling …
From G. H. Darwin [4 February 1870]
Summary
Believes he has found a quiet cob suitable for CD. Encloses a letter for CD to sign and send to the owner if he approves the idea.
| Author: | George Howard Darwin |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | [4 Feb 1870] |
| Classmark: | DAR 210.2: 15–16 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7096 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … From G. H. Darwin [4 February 1870] …
- … 15–16 George Howard Darwin London, Arlington St, 14 [4 Feb 1870] Charles Robert Darwin …
- … s. is recorded in CD’s Account books–banking account (Down House MS) on 5 February 1870. …
- … that described in his letter of [3 February 1870 or earlier] . The horse did not suit CD, …
- … H. Darwin to H. E. Darwin, [21–2 February 1870] (DAR 251: 2243). ) Frederick William …
From Federico Delpino 28 February 1870
Summary
Transformism explains rudimentary organs, and teratology, which are otherwise inexplicable.
Looking forward to publication of Descent
and CD’s expected book on "Variation in nature" [see Variation 1: 4].
| Author: | Federico Delpino |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 28 Feb 1870 |
| Classmark: | DAR 162: 146 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7120 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … From Federico Delpino 28 February 1870 …
- … DAR 162: 146 Federico Delpino Florence 28 Feb 1870 Charles Robert Darwin …
- … Firenze addì 28. Febbrajo 1870. Celeberrimo uomo! Ho ricevuto per insigne cortesia della …
- … Scientific Opinion on 2 and 9 February 1870 ( Delpino 1870b ). Delpino refers to Descent , …
- … Florence on the 28. February 1870. Most distinguished man! I have received, through the …
| letter | (38) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (12) |
| Darwin, G. H. | (3) |
| Gray, Asa | (2) |
| Kovalevsky, V. O. | (2) |
| Mostyn Owen, M. S. | (2) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (26) |
| American Philosophical Society. | (1) |
| Darwin, H. E. | (1) |
| Fox, W. D. | (1) |
| Garner, Robert | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (38) |
| Darwin, G. H. | (3) |
| Kovalevsky, V. O. | (3) |
| Darwin, H. E. | (2) |
| Fox, W. D. | (2) |
Darwin in letters,1870: Human evolution
Summary
The year 1870 is aptly summarised by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The whole of the year at work on the Descent of Man & Selection in relation to Sex’. Descent was the culmination of over three decades of observations and reflections on…
Matches: 29 hits
- … The year 1870 is aptly summarised by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The …
- … machine’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 25 December [1870] ). Finishing Descent; …
- … some weeks’ ( letter to Albert Günther, 13 January [1870] ). Darwin was still working hard on …
- … I shall be’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] ). She had previously read proof-sheets …
- … shd. turn parson?’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] ). Henrietta disagreed: ‘Certainly …
- … of man!’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [after 8 February 1870] ). Darwin was also encouraged …
- … sense of mankind’ ( letter to F. P. Cobbe, 23 March [1870?] ). Cobbe accused Darwin of smiling in …
- … great philosophy?’ ( letter from F. P. Cobbe, 28 March [1870?] ). Humans as animals: ears …
- … [1868] ; this volume, letter to Thomas Woolner, 10 March [1870] ). Darwin included Woolner’s …
- … findings ( letter from James Crichton-Browne, 15 March 1870 ). Indeed, Darwin noted the same …
- … bane of existence!’ ( letter to William Ogle, 9 November 1870 ). Researching expression: …
- … spirits were white ( letter from W. W. Reade, 9 November 1870 ). Keen for more evidence of …
- … hurting it much?’ ( letter to A. D. Bartlett, 5 January [1870] ). Darwin made a similar request of …
- … not succeed’ ( letter to James Crichton-Browne, 8 June [1870] ). Darwin’s queries were part …
- … of a baby’s brows ( letter from L. C. Wedgwood, [5 May 1870] ). He also wrote to a leading Dutch …
- … on this subject’ ( letter from F. C. Donders, 17 May 1870 ). Human evolution: debates and …
- … more fully in a collection of essays published in April 1870 (Wallace 1870a). Wallace wrote to …
- … naturalist’ (letter to A. R.Wallace, 26 January [1870]). Despite their increasing …
- … in one sense rivals’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 20 April [1870] ). Darwin alluded here to the …
- … No one but yourself’ ( letter from H. W. Bates, 20 May 1870 ). Darwin very rarely used the …
- … never write reviews’ ( letter to H. W. Bates, [22 May 1870] ). St George Jackson Mivart …
- … to answer objectors’ ( letter to W. H. Flower, 25 March [1870] ). In his letters to Mivart, Darwin …
- … on the Primates’ ( letter to St G. J. Mivart, 23 April [1870] ). He also tried to recruit Mivart’s …
- … lump of granite’ ( letter from St G. J. Mivart, 22 April 1870 ). Mivart hinted that his …
- … his “origin” ( letter from St G. J. Mivart, 25 April 1870 ). In his critical essays (later revised …
- … Charles Darwin et ses précurseurs français (Quatrefages 1870), that gave a detailed account, as …
- … many others’ ( letter to Armand de Quatrefages, 28 May [1870] ). Quatrefages had …
- … discord’ ( letter from Armand de Quatrefages, 30 March 1870 ). In proposing Darwin for election, …
- … them’ ( letter from Armand de Quatrefages, 18 July 1870 ). The assertion had been made by Emile …
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: 12 hits
- … Brooke, C.A.J. 30 Nov 1870 Sarawak, Borneo …
- … Crichton-Browne, James 15 March 1870 West Riding …
- … Crichton-Browne, James 18 March 1870 Down, Kent, …
- … Donders, F.C. 27 May 1870 Utrecht, Netherlands …
- … Forbes, David 13 June 1870 Portman Square, London W. …
- … Nicol, Patrick 13 May 1870 Sussex Lunatic Asylum, …
- … Reade, Winwood W. [c.8 or 9 Apr 1870] Accra, West …
- … Reade, Winwood W. 4 June 1870 Lagos, Africa …
- … Reade, Winwood W. 3 Sept 1870 Conservative Club, St …
- … Reade, Winwood W. 9 Nov 1870 11 St Mary Abbot's …
- … Weale, J.P.M. [25 May 1870] Bedford, Cape of Good …
- … Weir, J.J. 27 June 1870 Blackheath, London, England …
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: 4 hits
- … Letter 7124 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E., [8 February 1870] Darwin seeks Henrietta’s …
- … Letter 7329 - Murray , J. to Darwin, [28 September 1870] Written shortly before …
- … Letter 7331 - Darwin to Murray, J., [29 September 1870] Darwin asks Murray to …
- … Letter 7177 - Cupples, G. to Darwin, [29 April 1870] George Cupples tells Darwin about a …
Francis Darwin
Summary
Known to his family as ‘Frank’, Charles Darwin’s seventh child himself became a distinguished scientist. He was an undergraduate at Trinity College, Cambridge, initially studying mathematics, but then transferring to natural sciences. Francis completed…
Jane Gray
Summary
Jane Loring Gray, the daughter of a Boston lawyer, married the Harvard botanist Asa Gray in 1848 and evidence suggests that she took an active interest in the scientific pursuits of her husband and his friends. Although she is only known to have…
Matches: 1 hits
- … behaviour of her dog (letter from J. L. Gray, 14 February 1870 ), she also passed on information …
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: 1 hits
- … on my mind’ ( letter to W. T. Preyer, 17 February [1870 ])) that without earthworms aerating the …
Francis Galton
Summary
Galton was a naturalist, statistician, and evolutionary theorist. He was a second cousin of Darwin’s, having descended from his grandfather, Erasmus. Born in Birmingham in 1822, Galton studied medicine at King’s College, London, and also read mathematics…
Matches: 1 hits
- … more litters & no happy results”, he wrote on 26 April 1870 . In the following year, Galton …
Capturing Darwin’s voice: audio of selected letters
Summary
On a sunny Wednesday in June 2011 in a makeshift recording studio somewhere in Cambridge, we were very pleased to welcome Terry Molloy back to the Darwin Correspondence Project for a special recording session. Terry, known for his portrayal of Davros in Dr…
Matches: 1 hits
- … of Descent (letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] ). Audio of more …
Darwin and Gender Projects by Harvard Students
Summary
Working in collaboration with Professor Sarah Richardson and Dr Myrna Perez, Darwin Correspondence Project staff developed a customised set of 'Darwin and Gender' themed resources for a course on Gender, Sex and Evolution first taught at Harvard…
Matches: 1 hits
- … grateful I shall be.”(Letter to Darwin, H. E., [8 Feb 1870] ) Although Miranda acknowledges that …
Cross and self fertilisation
Summary
The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom, published on 10 November 1876, was the result of a decade-long project to provide evidence for Darwin’s belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells us, in the most emphatic manner, that she abhors…
Experimenting with emotions
Summary
Darwin’s interest in emotions can be traced as far back as the Beagle voyage. He was fascinated by the sounds and gestures of the peoples of Tierra del Fuego. On his return, he started recording observations in a set of notebooks, later labelled '…
John Lubbock
Summary
John Lubbock was eight years old when the Darwins moved into the neighbouring property of Down House, Down, Kent; the total of one hundred and seventy surviving letters he went on to exchange with Darwin is a large number considering that the two men lived…
Matches: 3 hits
Evolution: Selected Letters of Charles Darwin 1860-1870
Summary
This selection of Charles Darwin’s letters includes correspondence with his friends and scientific colleagues around the world; letters by the critics who tried to stamp out his ideas, and by admirers who helped them to spread. It takes up the story of…
Matches: 1 hits
- … you owe any more … Darwin to his son Francis, 1870. …
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…
3.16 Oscar Rejlander, photos
Summary
< Back to Introduction Darwin’s plans for the illustration of his book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872) led him to the Swedish-born painter and photographer, Oscar Gustaf Rejlander. Rejlander gave Darwin the notes that he had…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Photograph: Authenticity, Science and the Periodical Press, 1870 – 1890 (London and New York: …
Photograph album of Dutch admirers
Summary
Darwin received the photograph album for his birthday on 12 February 1877 from his scientific admirers in the Netherlands. He wrote to the Dutch zoologist Pieter Harting, An account of your countrymen’s generous sympathy in having sent me on my…
Matches: 1 hits
- … & I feel deeply for you. ( Letter to F. C. Donders, 19 May 1870 ) …
Darwin in public and private
Summary
Extracts from Darwin's published works, in particular Descent of man, and selected letters, explore Darwin's views on the operation of sexual selection in humans, and both his publicly and privately expressed views on its practical implications…
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…
Darwin on race and gender
Summary
Darwin’s views on race and gender are intertwined, and mingled also with those of class. In Descent of man, he tried to explain the origin of human races, and many of the differences between the sexes, with a single theory: sexual selection. Sexual…
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- … Key letters : Letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] Letter from Mary Treat, …
Moral Nature
Summary
In Descent of Man, Darwin argued that human morality had evolved from the social instincts of animals, especially the bonds of sympathy and love. Darwin gathered observations over many decades on animal behavior: the heroic sacrifices of social insects,…
