Ɛpsilon

To ?   12 February [1870–82]1

Down. | Beckenham.

Feb 12

Dear Sir,

I regret that I cannot give you much assistance, though I should be glad to do so if it were in my power

Only one bust has been made of me, and this, though the work of our best sculptor, is not generally thought to be a good likeness.2 I do not unfortunately know where casts of the bust are to be had. I think the best chance of finding this out would be by letter to the sculptor

T. Woolner Esq

29 Welbeck St

London W

who would be able to give you the necessary information.

Regretting that I cannot give you better information I am, dear Sir | Yours faithfully | Charles Darwin

LS

1
The year range is established by the address, and by CD’s death in April 1882. Down’s post town was changed from Bromley to Beckenham in 1869 (Correspondence vol. 17, letter to J. V. Carus, 21 June [1869]). The headed notepaper is not the headed notepaper that CD used from 1871, however; before then, he usually changed ‘Bromley’ to ‘Beckenham’ by hand.
2
Thomas Woolner made a bust of CD in 1867 (see Correspondence vol. 15, letter to J. D. Hooker, 25 November [1867]).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-6611F,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-6611F