Charles Darwin

Reply to Hunting Snark

nobody@flickr.com (Bonnetmaker) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 08:24:56 -0800

[left]: Illustration by Henry Holiday to Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark (1876)

[right]: Crossing the Line (1839), redrawn (2013) based on a print by Thomas Landseer, after Augustus Earle. The print you will find in Robert Fitz-Roy's and Charles Darwin's "Narrative of the surveying voyages of HMS Adventure and Beagle", Vol II (1839).

This image is related to my assumption that Lewis Carroll's and Henry Holiday's The Hunting of the Snark at least partially has been inspired by Charles Darwin's Beagle voyage.

Reply to Hunting Snark

nobody@flickr.com (Bonnetmaker) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 18:31:54 -0700

Bonnetmaker posted a reply:

time.is/Santa_Cruz_do_Sul

153 "Its habit of getting up late you'll agree
154 That it carries too far, when I say
155 That it frequently breakfasts at five-o'clock tea,
156 And dines on the following day.

time.is/Tierra_del_Fuego,_Chile

My personal view is that Carroll's Snark also is about Charles Darwin's discoveries and their consequences. But if you want to be on the safe side, then stay with those who feel more comfortable with the idea that Carroll wrote a nonsens poem without any meaning.

time.is/Oxford,_United_Kingdom

Reply to Mr Darwin's Birthday

nobody@flickr.com (Librarianguish) — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 21:49:52 -0700

Librarianguish posted a reply:

For what it's worth, my husband and I have started a tradition of celebrating Darwin's birthday instead of Valentine's Day. We travel to the Washington or Oregon coast and enjoy the wonders of nature.

Reply to How long did CD keep his notebooks completely secret?

nobody@flickr.com (Bonnetmaker) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 13:06:53 -0700

Bonnetmaker posted a reply:

Reply to Hunting Snark

nobody@flickr.com (Bonnetmaker) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 13:05:01 -0700

Bonnetmaker posted a reply:

Hunting Snark

nobody@flickr.com (Bonnetmaker) — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 07:48:59 -0700

Bonnetmaker posted a new topic:

Could it be that Lewis Carroll's and Henry Holiday's The Hunting of the Snark had been (at least partially) inspired by Charles Darwin's Beagle voyage? Darwin's discoveries as well as the related conflicts must have been a challenge to the reverend Dodgson, who was interested in science as well.

Carroll/Dodgson also was involved in a vivisection debate. He may have addressed that in The Hunting of the Snark too.

The image below perhaps just shows an incidental resemblance. As far as I know, Darwin's "Tree of Life" sketch was not known to the public when Carroll wrote his long poem (published in 1876).

Reply to How long did CD keep his notebooks completely secret?

nobody@flickr.com (Bonnetmaker) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:25:16 -0700

Bonnetmaker posted a reply:

Charles Darwin

Reply to How long did CD keep his notebooks completely secret?

nobody@flickr.com (Bonnetmaker) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:23:09 -0700

Bonnetmaker posted a reply:

What could be bad aboute lace making?
How did Charles Darwin use lacing needles?

Reply to Charles Darwin's new study depicted by Alfred Parsons

nobody@flickr.com (Bonnetmaker) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:13:00 -0700

Bonnetmaker posted a reply:

Segments from
• [left, vertically stretched]: Photo of the fireplace in Charles Darwin's study
• [center, vertically stretched]: Alfred Parsons' depiction (1882) of Charles Darwin's study
• [right]: an illustration (1876) by Henry Holiday to Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark

I think, that Alfred Parsons went beyond just depicting Charles Darwin's study. Especially you won't find the "mouth" in the center image in the photo. But as for position and location, that "mouth" matches well with the "Uncle's" mouth.

Parsons must have added that arched line deliberately to his painting. Perhaps he had discovered Henry Holiday's puzzles in the Snark illustrations and then played Holiday's game in his own drawing. Is this a kind of insider joke between artists?

Anybody out there who could provide better photos?

I still think, that Alfred Parsons included pictorial quotes from Henry Holiday's illustrations to Lewis Carroll's "Snark" in his depiction of Darwins study.

Interestingly, people often confuse pictorial quoting with plagiarism or assume other evil intentions. But in case of Parsons the quoting also could have been done as a reference to a ballade on a naval expedition like a "Snark" hunt (and as a reference to Henry Holiday's own quoting from old and contemporary masters). Could it be, that Carroll's ballad also was inspired by the Beagle voyage, a hunt for knowledge and truth (Snark?), which in some cases also may lead to fiercer conflicts (Boojum?).

And if I am right, Parsons' hiding of that little zoo in Darwin's study was a beautiful way to honor Darwin's findings.

Reply to Darwin in my favorite art forms

nobody@flickr.com (Kaptain Kobold) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:45:02 -0800

Kaptain Kobold posted a reply:

I have a Lego Darwin that's been featuring in pictures for the last five years or so:

Set

There's even a picture of him in Darwin :)

Charles Darwin

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Hunting Snark

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Charles Darwin

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