From Felice Finzi1   9 February 1871

Firenze

9. Feb. 1871.

Egregio Signore.

Perdoni se senza presentazione me le fo innanzi e perdoni se le scrivo in italiano. Havvi un affetto comune che collega quelli che lavorano ed allorquando si intenda a destare nuovo campo di attività è caro fare omaggio di questa prima prova a coloro cui la scienza è debitrice di tanto. Ecco perchè io mi permetto di mandarle un primo num. di un Archivio per l’Antrop. e la Etn. il cui scopo è non solo di far conoscere fuori d’Italia gli studii italiani, ma di diffondere tra noi l’amore di questi studii.—2 Il mio articolo (Antropologia ed Etnologia) sarebbe riescito senza dubbio assai più completo se la sua nuova opera ne fosse giunta.3 Ma io non so se sia già pubblicata, mentre qui non è arrivata ancora.

Perdoni l’arditezza, a cui altro ne aggiungo di mandarle il mio ritratto4 pregandola del suo

Ho frattanto l’onore di essere | suo dev. | Felice Finzi

CD annotations

Top of letter: ‘Photograph’ pencil, circled pencil
For a translation of this letter, see Correspondence vol. 19, Appendix I.
No copy of the Archivio per l’Antropologia e l’Etnologia (Archive of Anthropology and Ethnology) has been found in the Darwin Archive–CUL. Finzi founded the journal with Paulo Mantegazza.
Finzi refers to Finzi 1871 and Descent, which was published on 24 February 1871 (Freeman 1977).
Finzi’s portrait has not been found in the Darwin Archive–CUL.

From Felice Finzi1   9 February 1871

Florence

9. Feb. 1871.

Dear Sir.

Forgive me for approaching you without an introduction and forgive me for writing in Italian. We share a love that unites collaborators, and when one intends to set up a new field of scholarship it is customary to present the first proof of it to one to whom science owes so much. This is why I permit myself to send you the first number of our Archivio per l’Antrop. e la Etn. whose goal is not just to make Italian scholarship known outside Italy, but also to diffuse the love for such studies at home.—2 My article (Antropologia ed Etnologia) would doubtlessly look more complete in conjunction with your latest work.3 However, I do not know if it has come out yet, in any case it has not yet arrived here.

Forgive my temerity, to which I add only that I send you my portrait,4 asking you for yours.

In the meantime I have the honour of remaining | Your devoted | Felice Finzi

For a transcription of this letter in its original Italian, see pp. 60–1.
No copy of the Archivio per l’Antropologia e l’Etnologia (Archive of Anthropology and Ethnology) has been found in the Darwin Archive–CUL. Finzi founded the journal with Paulo Mantegazza.
Finzi refers to Finzi 1871 and Descent, which was published on 24 February 1871 (Freeman 1977).
Finzi’s portrait has not been found in the Darwin Archive–CUL.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7478A,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7478A