Ɛpsilon

To G. C. Wallich   [20 March 1872]1

9. Devonshire St | Portland Place

Wednesday

My dear Sir

At last I have got your negative from the Heliotype Coy.—& it appears not in the least injured.—2 The manager tells me that he has succeeded in making a very good new negative. The Coy. gives me a written guarantee that no negative used in my Book shall be used for any other purpose.—3

I thank you sincerely for the use of this beautiful work of art, which, however, will make all the others on the same Plate look ugly.—

My dear Sir | yours faithfully & obliged | Ch. Darwin

I return the parcel by my servant. I go home to Down, tomorrow morning.4

1
The date is established by the reference to CD’s return home from his stay at 9 Devonshire Street, London (see n. 4, below).
2
See letter to G. C. Wallich, 24 February [1872] and nn. 2 and 3. The Heliotype Company had premises in London.
3
No letter has been found from the Heliotype Company regarding the use of negatives. Ernest Edwards, the inventor of the heliotype technique, is listed as works manager in 1875 and probably held this position in 1872 (photoLondon (www.photolondon.org.uk (accessed 17 June 2011); Prodger 2009, p. 109).
4
CD returned to Down on Thursday 21 March 1872 (see ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-8248,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-8248