Skip to content

Darwin family carte-de-visite album, (bulk 1871-1879) | Collections | The Huntington

Membership

Donate

Store

OPEN TODAY: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.

Home
Collections
Search
Darwin family carte-de-visite album, (bulk 1871-1879)

Visual Materials

Darwin family carte-de-visite album, (bulk 1871-1879)

Image not available

Description: 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.
Type: Visual Materials(Opens in new tab)
Production date

Subscribe to our e-newsletter

About
Accessibility
Land Acknowledgment
Using the Library
Careers
Host an Event
Volunteer
Press
Contact Us
Filming/Photography

Opening Hours

Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.

Closed on Tuesdays

Admission Info and Tickets

1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108

Privacy Policy
Social Media Guidelines and User Policy

©2026 The Huntington

Charity Navigator

late 1860s-approximately 1900

Call number

photCL 604

Provenance

Purchased by the Library Collectors' Council from Luxury Catalogs - 19th Century Rare Book & Photograph Shop, January 20, 2018.

Dimensions

volume 16 x 13 cm

Associated people

Griffiths, Anne, (1844-1928,)

Rejlander, O. G. (1813-1875,)

Litchfield, R. B. (1832-1903,)

Find out more

View in the Library catalog(Opens in new tab)

You might also be interested in

Image not available
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
Image not available
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
Image not available
Charles Darwin collection
Manuscripts
The collection contains correspondence from Charles Darwin to British botanist John Forbes Royle, American philosopher and historian John Fiske, and German biologist Ernst Krause. Also includes correspondence from Sir Francis Darwin to Ernst Krause. There is also one letter by British zoologist and curator William S. Dallas to Ernst Krause. Several of Charles Darwin's letters were written by his son, Francis. The subjects of the letters include Darwin's work, biology, Darwin's father, physician Robert Darwin, grandfather, natural philosopher and poet Erasmus Darwin, English poet and author of Memoirs of the Life of Dr. Darwin Anna Seward (1742-1809), and English novelist and critic Samuel Butler (1835-1902).
mssDarwin
Image not available
Charles Darwin letters to Ernst Krause
Manuscripts
The collection contains correspondence from Charles Darwin to British botanist John Forbes Royle, American philosopher and historian John Fiske, and German biologist Ernst Krause. Also includes correspondence from Sir Francis Darwin to Ernst Krause. There is also one letter by British zoologist and curator William S. Dallas to Ernst Krause. Several of Charles Darwin's letters were written by his son, Francis. The subjects of the letters include Darwin's work, biology, Darwin's father, physician Robert Darwin, grandfather, natural philosopher and poet Erasmus Darwin, English poet and author of Memoirs of the Life of Dr. Darwin Anna Seward (1742-1809), and English novelist and critic Samuel Butler (1835-1902).
mssHM 36172-36216
Image not available
Charles Darwin letters to John Fiske
Manuscripts
The collection contains correspondence from Charles Darwin to British botanist John Forbes Royle, American philosopher and historian John Fiske, and German biologist Ernst Krause. Also includes correspondence from Sir Francis Darwin to Ernst Krause. There is also one letter by British zoologist and curator William S. Dallas to Ernst Krause. Several of Charles Darwin's letters were written by his son, Francis. The subjects of the letters include Darwin's work, biology, Darwin's father, physician Robert Darwin, grandfather, natural philosopher and poet Erasmus Darwin, English poet and author of Memoirs of the Life of Dr. Darwin Anna Seward (1742-1809), and English novelist and critic Samuel Butler (1835-1902).
mssHM 8260-8269
Image not available
Sir Francies Darwin letters to Ernest Krause
Manuscripts
The collection contains correspondence from Charles Darwin to British botanist John Forbes Royle, American philosopher and historian John Fiske, and German biologist Ernst Krause. Also includes correspondence from Sir Francis Darwin to Ernst Krause. There is also one letter by British zoologist and curator William S. Dallas to Ernst Krause. Several of Charles Darwin's letters were written by his son, Francis. The subjects of the letters include Darwin's work, biology, Darwin's father, physician Robert Darwin, grandfather, natural philosopher and poet Erasmus Darwin, English poet and author of Memoirs of the Life of Dr. Darwin Anna Seward (1742-1809), and English novelist and critic Samuel Butler (1835-1902).
mssHM 36219-36221