Manuscripts
Charles Darwin collection
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Charles Darwin letter to John Ralfs
Manuscripts
In this letter, written to English botanist John Ralfs, Darwin talks about his experiments and observations on insectivorous (carnivorous) plants, and his forthcoming book, Insectivorous plants, which was published in 1875. The letter was dictated to Darwin's son Frank, but is signed by Charles Darwin.
mssHM 76527
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Letters and documents related to Charles Ben Darwin
Manuscripts
Group of letters and documents by and related to Charles Ben Darwin. Includes a poem by Darwin written "for Kate Snyder's album" (1853), a letter from W.H.L. Barnes referring to Darwin's defense of Martha Wilson (1885), a letter from Samuel Morgan Shortridge to Darwin asking for a recommendation to the General Land Office in the Arizona Territory (1889), 2 letters of recommendation for Darwin to the Iowa Delegation at Washington, a letter from Anna Darwin describing some Darwin family genealogy, and a letter from W. Kellogg to Darwin's widow Mary regarding the moving of remains from Old Laurel Hill cemetery in San Francisco (1947).
mssHM 75640-75648
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Darwin family carte-de-visite album, (bulk 1871-1879)
Visual Materials
A brown leather carte-de-visite photograph album containing 19 portraits chiefly of English naturalist Charles Darwin and his family, dating from the 1870s. The album has an inscription from Darwin's son-in-law Richard. B. Litchfield to Anne Griffiths (1844-1928), a servant in Down House, the Darwin family home, dated 1879, the year Griffiths ended her employment with the Darwins. The volume contains portraits of Darwin (page 3r); his wife, Emma (page 2r); at least five of their children, including Elizabeth Darwin (page 4v and 8r), George Darwin (pages 10v), Henrietta Darwin (pages 4r, 7r, 13v), Horace Darwin (page 10r), and Leonard Darwin (?) (pages 6r and 8v); Henrietta's husband, R. B. Litchfield (pages 5r and 6v); and Francis Darwin's son, Bernard Darwin (pages 2v, 11r, and 12v). There are also three unidentified portraits (pages 9r, 12r, and 13r). The mounts primarily contain imprints of London photographers including three photograph by Oscar Gustav Rejlander (pages 3r, 6r, 6v); there are also two by German photographer Wilhelm Mayr (pages 4r and 5r). Album has seven interspersed pages of color lithograph images of a bird and flowers.
photCL 604
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Handwritten single page of Descent of Man
Manuscripts
This is a handwritten manuscript of page 30 of chapter 1 of Darwin's Descent of man. On it, Darwin made edits, crossed out words and sentences, etc. The top of the page reads: "Ch. Darwin Ch. I Descent of Man. 30."
mssHM 80997
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Russian cartes-de-visite of Charles Darwin
Visual Materials
A group of three cartes-de visite (photographs) of Charles Darwin produced in Russia between 1874 and 1895. Two are variant copies of the same image: a portrait of Darwin originally taken by photography studio Elliot & Fry in 1874, when Darwin was about 64 years old. The first variant has the imprint of photographer "Wesenberg," St. Petersburg, Russia, in Roman and Cyrillic text, and Darwin's name handwritten in Cyrillic. It was issued sometime between 1874 and 1884, based on the photographer's studio address of Fontanka 55, where he was located until 1884. The second variant was produced after 1884; it has the imprint of "Wesenberg & Co.," and the studio's later address Makarov House, St. Petersburg, Russia, in Cyrillic text. It also has Darwin's name handwritten in Cyrillic. The third carte-de-visite is a photographic copy of an 1881 painting of Darwin by John Collier, depicting him standing with a loose cloak around his shoulders. It has the imprint of "Wesenberg & Co." in Cyrillic text, with Darwin's name handwritten in Cyrillic on front and back. On the back is a printed censor's note that translates to: "Approved to print. Aug. 16, 1895. Count Turchaninov ... S.L. Kind's typography, 27 Voznesenskii Prospect, St. Petersburg." Additional printed text advertises the low prices and superb quality of the company's cartes-de-visite, which includes the imperial family, "foreign sovereigns," Russian and other war heroes, authors, composers, artists, actors employed by Imperial theaters, etc., available for sale at the stationery store of I. Bulatov on 22 Voznesenskii Prospect in St. Petersburg.
photCL 659
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Charles Darwin letter to C.W. Stoddard
Manuscripts
A full transcription of the letter follows: "Dear Sir, I am obliged for your extremely courteous letter. It is of course a great satisfaction to me to hear that my work has in any way interested an interested and observing person. I am little surprised at what you say about certain plants not fruiting or flowering in the Sandwich Islands; though this is very common in hotter countries. There is nothing I shd enjoy so much as to visit California, but I am growing old & my health is weak. With my best thanks, I beg leave to remain Dear Sir Yours faithfully, Ch. Darwin. P.S. I am obliged for your enclosures." The letter, written from Beckenham, Kent, is dated May 5; no year is given. The letter is in reply to one sent by Charles Warren Stoddard on 11 April 1870 (see the Darwin Correspondence Project).
mssHM 72755