Ɛpsilon

WCP1326

Letter (WCP1326.1105)

[1]

Isle of Wight

Aug 25 / 1904

Dear Mrs. Wallace,1

Two days ago at the meeting of the Brit. Assn [British Association] at Cambridge I met Mr Cockerell2 who told me that you were — as I imagined would be the case — very anxious that your husband shd. accept the generous [2] offer of Mr. John Collier3 & be painted I presume for the Linnean society to hand beside the Darwin.4 I had not been rebuffed by his refusal & was only waiting to see what could be now done. But as I hear that you feel as I [illeg.] you would I write to you for advice. [3] I had talked it over with Professor Meldola5 & he thought that a combined letter signed by many friends would produce the effect. What do you think of this? Or best of all may I leave it in your family? Could you let Mr. Collier stay in your house for the requisite 10 days as if not is there a [4] place near where he could stay? I understand that it would be impossible for Dr. Wallace to go away from home for the purpose: although I imagine it would be easy to borrow a studio in Parkstone for the purpose if this would be at all feasible.

With kind regard sincerely | E. B. Poulton6 [signature]

1
Wallace (née Mitten), Annie (1846-1914). British. Wife of ARW; daughter of William Mitten.
2
Cockerell, Theodore Dru Alison (1866-1948). Brother of Sydney Carlyle Cockerell. British-born American zoologist, taxonomist, and museum curator. ARW referred him as the 'Slugophilite'.
3
Collier, John (1850-1934). Painter and writer. Studied art in London, Munich, and Paris. First exhibited at the Royal Academy, London, in 1874. Painted portraits of several men of science. Son-in-law of Thomas Henry Huxley.
4
Darwin, Charles Robert (1809-1882). British naturalist, geologist and author, notably of On the Origin of Species (1859).
5
Meldola, Raphael (1849-1915). British chemist and entomologist.
6
Poulton, Edward Bagnall (1856-1943). British Entomologist. Hope Professor of Zoology at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Jesus College.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP1326.1105)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by Awolesi, Monilola Omotola [2014-09-02] Transcription checked by Benny, Ruth [2014-09-02] Transcription checked by Sherwood, Danni [2020-08-10] Transcription checked by Chua, Christine [2024-12-24]

Please cite as “WCP1326,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP1326