Letter of Charles Darwin to Francis Galton
Dec. 23, 1869
following the publication of Galton’s Hereditary Genius (1869)
Dec. 23
Down
Beckenham
Kent, S.E.
My dear Galton,
I have only read about 50 pages of your
book (to the Judges), but I must exhale
myself, else something will go wrong in my
inside. I do not think I ever in all my life
read anything more interesting and
original, and how well and clearly you put
every point! George, who has finished the
book, and who expressed himself…
…just in the same terms, tells me that
the earlier chapters are nothing in
interest to the later ones! It will take
me some time to get to these latter
chapters, as it is read aloud to me by
my wife, who is also much interested.
— You have made a convert of…
…of an opponent in one sense, for I
have always maintained that, excepting
fools, men did not differ much in
intellect, only in zeal and hard work;
and I still think this is an eminently
important difference. I congratulate
you on producing what I am
convinced will prove a memorable
work. I look forward with…
…intense interest to each reading, but
it sets me thinking so much that I find
it very hard work; but that is wholly
the fault of my brain and not of your
beautifully clear style —
Yours most sincerely,
[Signed] Ch. Darwin
Notable Features
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Four sheets of paper?
White space
Variable line weight
Handwriting
Errors & emendations
Tone
Postal System
• Prepaid postage (beg. 1840)
• Envelope
• Consumer culture
• Growth and speed of postal
system
(Golden)
(Google Maps)
Galton’s Response
42 Rutland Gate S.w.
Dec. 24, 1869
My dear Darwin,
It would be idle to speak of the
delight your letter has given me, for
there is no one in the world whose
appreciation in these matters can
have the same weight as yours.
…
I always think of you in the same
way as converts from barbarism
think of the teacher who first
relieved them from the intollerable
burden of their superstition.
Who is Francis Galton?
Who is Francis Galton?
• 1822–1911
• Attended Cambridge (mathematics)
• Traveled in Africa and the Middle East,
publishing articles in The Journal of the
Royal Geological Society
• Member of Royal Geographical
Society
• From 1865 on, he dedicated himself to
studying the laws of inheritance, using
statistical methods (e.g. regression
lines, percentiles)
• In 1869, he published…
(Keynes ix)
Letter of Charles Darwin to Francis Galton
Dec. 23, 1869
following the publication of Galton’s Hereditary Genius (1869)
Images and Works Cited
“Anthropometry Card of Francis Galton.” 1893. University College London. “Image Archive of the American
Eugenics Movement.” Coldspring Harbor Laboratory. Web 8 Oct. 2013.
Darwin, Charles. Letter to Francis Galton. Dec. 23, 1969. Pearson, Karl. The Life, Letters and Labours of Francis Galton.
1914. New York: Cambridge, 2011. Google Books Preview.
Transcription from The Correspondence of Charles Darwin. Ed. Frederick Burkhardt et al. Vol. 17: 1869. New York:
Cambridge, 2009. Print. (530–1)
“Composite -- group of Irish high school students.” n.d. The Harry H. Laughlin Papers, Truman State University.
“Image Archive of the American Eugenics Movement.” Coldspring Harbor Laboratory. Web. 8 Oct. 2013.
“Fingerprint Cards of Jewish Males.” 1891. University College London. “Image Archive of the American Eugenics
Movement.” Coldspring Harbor Laboratory. Web 8 Oct. 2013.
Furse, Charles Wellington. Portrait of Francis Galton. 1903. American Philosophical Society. “Image Archive of the
American Eugenics Movement.” Coldspring Harbor Laboratory. Web. 8 Oct. 2013.
Galton, Francis. Hereditary Genius. London: Macmillan and Co., 1869. Google Books. 8 Oct. 2013.
Galton, Francis. Letter to Charles Darwin. Dec. 24, 1969. “Correspondence of Francis Galton.” Galton.org. Tredoux,
Gavan, ed. Web. 8 Oct. 2013.
Transcription from The Correspondence of Charles Darwin. (532)
Golden, Catherine J. “The Victorian Revolution in Letter Writing.” The Victorian Web. Web. 8 Oct. 2013.
London 1857. Drawn & Engraved Expressly For The Post Office Directory. London: Kelly & Co., 1857. David Hale, Map and
Plan Collection Online (mapco.net). Web. 9 Oct. 2013.
Queen Victoria Line Engraved 1d Black Stamp. 1840. Bill Barrell Ltd. Web. 9 Oct. 2013.
Sir Francis Galton, FRS: The Legacy of His Ideas. Ed. Milo Keynes. London: Macmillan, 1993. Print.