From W. B. Tegetmeier 27 March 1865
The Field. | 346, Strand, | London, W.C.
March 27 1865.
My dear Sir
I sent you a packet of Fields containing all the Pigeon articles published as I thought it would trouble you less than sending the dates of the papers1 I shall publish another engraving and article this week and will forward you a copy2
Mr L Wells will be most happy to do any thing for you, he is most careful and conscientious in his work and economical in his charges3
I need not say that it will give me very great pleasure to assist you in any way, either by furnishing Mr Wells with typical specimens or by supervising his work4
For careful accurate detail I think he is the best man by far you could employ. If you compare the pouter and almond tumbler in the Fields sent with the Smerle, Barb and Carrier I think you will not hesitate to employ the draughtsman of the last three in preference.5
I am an intimate personal friend of Mr. H. Weir and admire his artistic skill but for your purpose as for mine in the Field, I am sure that accuracy is better than high art6
Mr Wells charges, for the drawing on the wood, about 30/ per subject, of the size used in the Field The Engraving cost rather more than the drawing.— Would any of the Field blocks suit you I could arrange for you to have stereos or electros at a moderate cost7
I am afraid you will think I have been very neglectful in not replying sooner to your last,8 but I have been very busy during the last two weeks and did not see Mr Wells till late last week
Trusting to hear your health is improving | Believe me | Yours Very Truly | W B Tegetmeier
C Darwin Esq
P.S. | I send you a cutting from the Field with a marked paragraph, that may interest you. I am almost ashamed to send you such an article,9 but you know that the best artists occasionally paint what are termed, coarsely enough “pot boilers” and therefore I hope to be forgiven for following their example
Footnotes
Bibliography
Glaister, Geoffrey Ashall. 1996. Encyclopedia of the book. 2d edition. London: Oak Knoll Press and the British Library.
Twyman, Michael. 1998. The British Library guide to printing: history and techniques. London: British Library.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
Sends copies of the Field containing all the pigeon articles [see 4785].
Luke Wells will undertake engravings for Variation.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-4796
- From
- William Bernhard Tegetmeier
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- unstated
- Source of text
- DAR 178: 65
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 4796,” accessed on 16 May 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-4796.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 13