- Portraits of Charles Darwin
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There are many known portraits of Charles Darwin. Darwin came from a wealthy family and became a well-known naturalist and author, and portraits were made of him in childhood, adulthood and old age. Darwin's life (1809-1882) spanned the development of photography, and early portraits of Darwin are drawn or painted, while later portraits are monochrome photographs. After the publication and dissemination of the controversial On the Origin of Species in 1859, Darwin was also the subject of numerous caricatures.
Darwin's visage, particularly his iconic beard, continues to be culturally significant and widely recognizable into the 21st century. According to historian Betty Smocovitis, Darwin's capacity to commission photographs of himself—and their widespread reproduction as carte de visite and cabinet card photographs—helped to cement the lasting connection between Darwin and the theory of evolution in popular thought (largely to the exclusion of the many others who also contributed to the development of evolutionary theory), especially as these portraits were reinterpreted in caricature. Most 19th century scientists could not afford the luxury of so many photographs as Darwin.[1]
Especially in his last decades as his illness progressed, Darwin expressed frustration about sitting for photographs. He turned down an opportunity in 1869 to sit for a portrait with Alfred Russel Wallace, explaining that sitting for photographs "is what I hate doing & wastes a whole day owing to my weak health; and to sit with another person would cause still more trouble & delay." Nevertheless, there are at least 53 known photographs of Darwin, according to Gene Kritsky, a scholar of Darwin photos.[2]
Contents
Chronological list of portraits
Year Creator Image Notes 1816 Ellen Sharples Chalk drawing of Charles (age six) and his sister Catherine late 1830s George Richmond Water-color portrait from after Darwin's return from the voyage of the Beagle 1842 Daguerrotype of Darwin (age 33) with his son William, reproduced in The Life, Letters, and Labours of Francis Galton by Karl Pearson 1849 Thomas Herbert Maguire 1853 Samuel Laurence Pastel chalk drawing of Darwin by Samuel Laurence circa 1855 Maull & Polyblank (photography partnership of Henry Maull and George Henry Polyblank Portrait for the Literary and Scientific Portrait Club about which Darwin wrote in a May 27, 1855 letter: "if I really have as bad an expression, as my photograph gives me, how I can have one single friend is surprising."[3] 1859 or 1860 [Henry] Maull and [John] Fox A portrait by Maull & Fox, reproduced in The Life, Letters, and Labours of Francis Galton by Karl Pearson. A derivative engraving was produced for Harper's Magazine, October 1884, and used as the frontispiece of Francis Darwin's The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin (1887). According to Francis Darwin "the date of the photograph is probably 1854; it is, however, impossible to be certain on this point, the books of Messrs. Maull and Fox having been destroyed by fire."[4] However, according to Pearson it is Darwin at age 51, dating it to 1859 or 1860. circa 1866 Ernest Edwards (1837–1903) circa 1866 Ernest Edwards (1837–1903) 1867 Ernest Edwards (1837–1903) 1867 Ernest Edwards (1837–1903) 1867 André Gill 1868 Julia Margaret Cameron 1868 Julia Margaret Cameron 1869 Attributed to Julia Margaret Cameron, although it has been suggested that this is a reversed image of a photograph taken by Leonard Darwin in the 1870s. 1869 Julia Margaret Cameron 1869 Laura Russell (1816-1885) oil on canvas circa 1871 Oscar Gustave Rejlander 1871 The Hornet artist "A Venerable Orang-outang", a caricature from the March 22, 1871 issue of The Hornet magazine 1871 "Coïdé", a.k.a. James Jacques Joseph Tissot "Natural Selection", a Vanity Fair caricature from the September 30, 1871 issue 1874 Elliott & Fry unknown unknown [possibly Elliott & Fry]; published by John G. Murdoch A Woodburytype carte de visite unknown Elliott & Fry unknown unknown circa 1874 Leonard Darwin Numerous photographs were taken by Darwin's son Leonard, who was an avid amateur photographer. These photographs are not public domain. 1875 Walter William Ouless (1848-1933) A painting by W. W. Ouless that hangs in Christ's College at Cambridge University circa 1875 Elliott & Fry late 1870s Elliott & Fry 1877 Lock & Whitfield 1878 Marion Collier (née Huxley) (1859–1887) Pencil sketch unknown unknown 1879 Elliott & Fry 1881 Elliott & Fry 1881 Elliott & Fry 29 November, 1881 Elliott & Fry 1881 Punch artist "Man is But a Worm", including a caricature of Darwin, from the 1882 Punch almanac. It was published soon after Darwin's last book The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms. 1881 (copied in 1883) John Collier A copy made by John Collier in 1883 of his 1881 portrait of Charles Darwin. According to Darwin's son Erasmus, "The picture is a replica of the one in the rooms in the Linnaean Society and was made by Collier after the original. I took some trouble about it and as a likeness it is an improvement on the original."[5] 1881 Herbert Rose Barraud (1845–1896) Photograph by Herbert Rose Barraud, thought by Darwin photograph scholar Gene Kritsky to be the last photograph taken of Darwin before his death in 1882.[2] unknown Harry Furniss A pen and ink caricature by illustrator Harry Furniss References
- ^ April Wright, "Darwin's popularity captured in new light", Manitou Messenger, October 3, 2008. Accessed January 21, 2008.
- ^ a b Richard Milner, "Charles Darwin: The Last Portrait", Scientific American, November 1995, pp. 78–79.
- ^ John van Wyhe, Photograph of Charles Darwin by Maull and Polyblank for the Literary and Scientific Portrait Club (1855), December 2006. Accessed January 19, 2009.
- ^ Darwin F. 1899. The botanical work of Darwin. Annals of Botany 13: ix – xix.
- ^ Portrait NPG 1024: Robert Charles Darwin, National Portrait Gallery, London. Accessed January 19, 2009.
External links
- Charles Robert Darwin — National Portrait Gallery, London
- Photographs - The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online
- Darwiniana - Catalog of reproductions and derivatives of Darwin's image
- Darwin portraits — University of Oklahoma Libraries, History of Science Collections
- Charles Robert Darwin - Wellcome Images
- "Evolutionists Flock To Darwin-Shaped Wall Stain", The Onion, September 5, 2008.
Charles Darwin Life Education · Voyage on HMS Beagle · Inception of theory · Development of theory · Publication of theory · Reaction to theory · Orchids to Variation · Descent of Man to Emotions · Insectivorous Plants to Worms · Portraits of DarwinFamily, beliefs, and health Writings The Voyage of the Beagle · Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle · The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs · On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties; and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection · On the Origin of Species · Fertilisation of Orchids · The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication · The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex · The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals · Insectivorous Plants · The Power of Movement in Plants · The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms · Autobiography · CorrespondenceRelated subjects Categories:- Charles Darwin
- Portraits by British artists
- Portraits by subject
- 19th-century portraits
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