Emma Darwin's Diaries 1824-1896

These small pocket diaries of Emma Wedgwood Darwin (1808-1896), the wife of Charles Darwin, are reproduced with the kind permission of their owner Richard Darwin Keynes. The images are scanned from the microfilms prepared by the Cambridge University Library where the diaries are kept. The black and white images, over 3,200 in all, have had a slight yellow tint added.* There are sixty diaries covering the years 1824, 1833-4, 1839-45 and 1848-96.

Emma recorded many events such as visits and visitors, dinners and the health of her family including her husband. The books also contain drawings by her children.

• See the introduction to Emma's diaries by Janet Browne.

Emma Darwin aged 31 in 1839. Watercolour by George Richmond.
Portrait reproduced courtesy of the Darwin Heirlooms Trust.

Pages from 1840 and 1860.

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1824] Image CUL-DAR242[.1]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1833] Image CUL-DAR242[.2]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1834] Image CUL-DAR242[.3]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1835] Image CUL-DAR242[.4]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1839] Image CUL-DAR242[.5]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1840] Image CUL-DAR242[.6]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1841] Image CUL-DAR242[.7]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1842] Image CUL-DAR242[.8]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1843] Image CUL-DAR242[.9]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1844] Image CUL-DAR242[.10]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1845] Image CUL-DAR242[.11]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1848] Image CUL-DAR242[.12]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1849] Image CUL-DAR242[.13]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1850] Image CUL-DAR242[.14]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1851] Image CUL-DAR242[.15]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1852] Image CUL-DAR242[.16]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1853] Image CUL-DAR242[.17] (partial only survives)

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1854] Image CUL-DAR242[.18]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1855] Image CUL-DAR242[.19]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1856] Image CUL-DAR242[.20]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1857] Image CUL-DAR242[.21]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1858] Image CUL-DAR242[.22]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1859] Image CUL-DAR242[.23]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1860] Image CUL-DAR242[.24]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1861] Image CUL-DAR242[.25]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1862] Image CUL-DAR242[.26]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1863] Image CUL-DAR242[.27]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1864] Image CUL-DAR242[.28]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1865] Image CUL-DAR242[.29]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1866] Image CUL-DAR242[.30]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1867] Image CUL-DAR242[.31]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1868] Image CUL-DAR242[.32]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1869] Image CUL-DAR242[.33]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1870] Image CUL-DAR242[.34]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1871] Image CUL-DAR242[.35]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1872] Image CUL-DAR242[.36]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1873] Image CUL-DAR242[.37]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1874] Image CUL-DAR242[.38]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1875] Image CUL-DAR242[.39]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1876] Image CUL-DAR242[.40]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1877] Image CUL-DAR242[.41]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1878] Image CUL-DAR242[.42]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1879] Image CUL-DAR242[.43]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1880] Image CUL-DAR242[.44]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1881] Image CUL-DAR242[.45]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1882] Image CUL-DAR242[.46]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1883] Image CUL-DAR242[.47]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1884] Image CUL-DAR242[.48]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1885] Image CUL-DAR242[.49]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1886] Image CUL-DAR242[.50]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1887] Image CUL-DAR242[.51]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1888] Image CUL-DAR242[.52]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1889] Image CUL-DAR242[.53]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1890] Image CUL-DAR242[.54]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1891] Image CUL-DAR242[.55]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1892] Image CUL-DAR242[.56]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1893] Image CUL-DAR242[.57]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1894] Image CUL-DAR242[.58]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1895] Image CUL-DAR242[.59]

[Emma Darwin's diary for: 1896] Image CUL-DAR242[.60]

For more on Emma Darwin see:

Litchfield, H. E. ed. 1915. Emma Darwin, A century of family letters, 1792-1896. London: John Murray.
Volume 1. Text Image
Volume 2. Text Image

Litchfield, H. E. ed. 1904. Emma Darwin, wife of Charles Darwin. A century of family letters. Cambridge: University Press printed. (This copy belonged to Henrietta Litchfield, Darwin's daughter. Kindly lent by Darwin's great-grandson Milo Keynes. This 1904 privately printed edition contains matter omitted from the 1915 published version.)
Volume 1. Image
Volume 2. Image

Emma Darwin's complete Recipe Book. CUL-DAR214.(0-157) Image

[Emma Darwin's memo about Darwin's religious doubts] (c. 2.1839) CUL-DAR210.8.14 Text & Image

Darwin, Emma. 1882. [Reminiscences of Charles Darwin's last years.] CUL-DAR210.9 Text & Image

Hundreds of other items on Emma Darwin can be found in Darwin's private papers on Darwin Online, here.

Compare with [Darwin's 'Journal' (1809-1881)].

John van Wyhe

* Blank pages, containing no written entries, were not microfilmed.