Ɛpsilon

From K. E. von Baer   5 May 1873

Dorpat

23 April/5 Mai 18731

Sir | and most illustrious naturalist.

I am told you wish a photography of me. That is a great honour for me. I send therefore a photogra photography made when I was near to my 66th. year of age.2 There are others of a more recent time but they express too much the decline of age. I am now in my 80th year

I possess your portrait in Octavo from the German translation of your work on variation.3 But I habe a collection a collection of little photographical portraits of naturalists in a so called album und there your photography is wantig. If you could send me a such cart as mein in this lettre, you would very much oblige me.

I beg you Sir, to excuse the audacity to write to you in English.

Your most obedient and respectfull | Dr K. E. v Baer

1
Baer gives both the Julian (23 April) and Gregorian (5 May) calendar dates.
2
The photograph has not been found in the Darwin Archive–CUL.
3
CD’s portrait appeared in the third German edition of Origin (Bronn and Carus trans. 1867) not in the German translation of Variation (Carus trans. 1868). See Correspondence vol. 15, letter from E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 22 March 1867 and n. 8.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-8900,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-8900