2pp., manuscript draft with annotations and corrections in Darwin’s hand, Darwin’s signature blue paper, fold lines, slight damp staining along lower edge not affecting text, 328 x 200mm, London, n.d. [c.1861]
A very scarce draft leaf for Darwin’s work on Orchids, published in 1862. This leaf shows variation from the published text so is undoubtedly from the first edition. The five lines of manuscript in Darwin’s hand point to this being an early draft. Darwin has scored these lines out and they do not appear in any version of the published work.
The text on the recto is in an assistant’s hand for pp. 114-115 of On the various contrivances…, opening ‘…the pollinia had been removed by insects’ and closing ‘In the rostellum being supported…’ with three interlinear annotations in Darwin’s hand (line 8: ‘*a’; line 9: ‘like that in the Ophreæ; and’; and line 11: ‘likewise as in the Ophreæ’). The five lines on the verso in Darwin’s hand seems to be early notes for this text, but were probably left out of the final printing. It reads “in which the nucleus projects from the testa in the ovules of a lately expanded flower shows the affinity of Goodyera to Epipactis. With respect to this structure in Epipactis see R. Brown’s remarks in Linnean Transactions vol. 16 p.703”.
Darwin’s fascination in the floral morphology of orchids can be traced back to a letter written in June 1855 to Joseph Hooker, where he describes his observations on pollination of different orchids. By 1858, Darwin had examined over a hundred individual flowers of Ophrys muscifera (a synonym of O. insectifera, the fly orchid) and noted that only a small fraction ever had their pollinia removed. This could have been the beginning of a period of intense orchid research, but June 1858 brought a letter that changed Darwin’s focus dramatically. Alfred Russel Wallace sent him a paper entitled ‘On the tendency of varieties to depart indefinitely from the original type’. The manuscript of that paper has yet to be found, but it was published as part of a joint paper by Wallace and Darwin, and led to Darwin’s rush to publish an ‘abstract’ of his theory, On the origin of species.
By June 1860, Darwin returned to his study of orchids. In a letter to Asa Gray, he highlights an important factor leading Darwin to write his study of orchids. His daughter, Henrietta is unwell, and that the research on orchids provided a welcome break from The Origin of Species and the worry over his daughter’s health. By September 1861, Darwin was ready to pitch this new study to his publisher, John Murray. Darwin must have been fairly confident that Murray would agree to publish, since he mentioned that he had already hired an artist to make drawings for the illustrations.
Even before his book on orchids reached the general public, Darwin had excerpted material for a paper that he presented himself to the Linnean Society on 3 April 1862, ‘On the three remarkable sexual forms of Catasetum tridentatum, an orchid in the possession of the Linnean Society’. The paper evidently caused a stir, for Hooker wrote, ‘How are you after your tremendous effect on the placid Linnæans?’’ Just over a month later, Orchids was published, receiving a positive reception.
Some of the manuscript text for On the Various… was returned by the publisher, but later used for making notes or as drawing material for the children. The manuscript of this title has been listed as lost and we could find no other leaves from this title on Rare book Hub. Hitherto unrecorded by Darwin Online, this proof allows for the first time a reconstruction of Darwin’s construction of the text in preparation for publication.
Provenance: Along with this manuscript leaf is a letter from Darwin’s daughter, Henrietta
Litchfield which is dated July 31, [18]92 and reads ” Dear Sir, I have the pleasure of sending you a photograph and a small piece of M.S.S. Much of this is in the handwriting of the copyist, but there is little piece at the back in my father’s handwriting. He has scored the ?with pencil, but that can be rubbed out. Believe me, yours sincerely, H.E. Litchfield. Please give my kind remembrances to Monsieur Fournier when you see him.”
Henrietta Litchfield (1843-1927) was the eldest of Charles Darwin’s daughters to reach adulthood. She was very close with her father and a valued companion who often helped him with editing and proof-reading. Her keen editorial eye was sought after by her father for his scientific writing, particularly his 1871 work, The Descent of Man. In this Henrietta provided far more than grammatical assistance; Darwin asked her to help clarify and enliven his work. Though far less recognised by Victorian society for her intellectual worth than her father or brothers, Henrietta was an essential lynchpin in the Darwin circle, and helped anchor both the scientific and domestic activities of her family. Were it not for the generosity of Henrietta, this page may not have survived.
[Darwin Correspondence Project – University of Cambridge, Freeman, Darwin,. Hunt. Nissen, BBI,.]
