RECORD: Darwin, C. R. [1867-1872]. Expression queries (draft tabulation of answers). CUL-DAR186.27-29. (John van Wyhe ed., 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed and edited by John van Wyhe 2.2026. RN1
NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volume CUL-DAR186 contains answers to 'Queries about expression' summarised by subject (contempt, good spirits, indignation etc.) and geographically (Australia, Brazil, China etc.), research leading to Expression (F1142).
These notes record reactions of friends and family Darwin queried about the emotions expressed by people in photographs. These are sometimes referred to in Expression as here: "I have shown Duchenne's photograph of a young man, with this muscle strongly contracted by means of galvanism, to eleven persons, including some artists, and none of them could form an idea what was intended, except one, a girl, who answered correctly, 'surly reserve.'" p. 231. See the illustrations in Expression here. More than one person recorded the entries in Darwin's tables.
27
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|
Hensleighs |
Blyth |
Trimer |
Horace |
Mrs Lushington |
Mr L. |
Mr Farrer |
Henslow |
Laughter |
yes yes yes |
No x |
yes |
yes |
Amusement [illeg] |
Trying to laugh |
laugh |
yes |
Astonishment |
yes, yes, yes |
yes |
No x |
yes |
Disgust & wonder |
Stupid wonder |
Fearful astonishment |
Surprise & horror |
Fright |
Yes, no, yes 4 5 |
Yes 5 |
Fright |
Yes 5 |
pain |
horror |
Pain & disgust |
Terror & horror |
Despair & grief |
Yes, no, yes 3 x 4 |
No x |
Disgust (3) |
No x |
Intense amazement x |
Suspicion x |
? x |
Incredulity Extreme x |
Torture, agony |
Yes, no, yes 1 2 |
Yes 3 |
Pain 4 |
Yes 5 |
fright |
Great sudden pain |
Startled expression |
Torture |
1/2 crying |
no, no, no x x x |
no x |
doubt |
Yes 5 |
Sadness 7 |
Bereavment 8 |
Sad 9 |
Looking on intense sight x |
1/2 laughing |
|
|
Laughing yes 9 |
X both sides wrong |
Yes 10 0 x |
Yes 11 0 x |
Yes 12 0 x |
Yes 13 Yes 5 |
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Laughing side correct |
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|
Amy Crofton |
Lucy Wedgwood |
Sophia Wedgwood |
Crotch |
Dr Gray |
Mrs Gray |
Mrs Hooker |
Mr Woolner |
|
|
|
1 Laughter |
Amusement |
Pleasure |
|
Laughing |
Laughter |
Laughter |
Grinning smile |
Laughter |
|
|
|
2 Astonishment |
Surprise |
Surprise |
|
Surprise astonishment |
Pain & wonder |
Stupid wonder |
Sleeping |
Wonder |
|
|
|
3 Fright |
Horror |
Horror |
|
Scared |
Pain |
Abject terror |
Horror |
Horror |
6-1 pain |
|
|
4 Despair & grief |
grief 7 5 |
Pain x |
|
Sudden grief 8 |
0 x |
Pain or contempt 4 |
Contemptuous anger 5 |
Disgust (4) |
7 1 extremely der[illeg] |
|
|
5 Torture & agony |
Horror or gt pain 1 |
Fear |
|
Calling out from sudden pain |
Cry of anger |
Sudden anger |
Sudden anger |
Contemplating a catastropheand fearing it wd come on self |
7 1 same 1 same & l[illeg] 20 4 |
|
|
6 ½ crying |
Sorrow 10 |
Distress 11 |
|
Cunning leer x |
0 x |
Grief [illeg] 12 |
Endurance of pain 13 |
Misery, just giving way 14 |
|
|
|
7 ½ laughing ½ crying |
Laughter 4 |
Amuseument 15 |
|
Omishing[?] Laughing x |
Mem[illeg] 17 |
Do 18 |
X 0 |
Irronical laughter 19 |
|
|
|
Anger x |
Trying to stop laughing x |
|
0 x |
Saturlection x |
Fun X |
Cunning x |
Like 6 |
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|
|
8 Suffering |
Trying to understand x |
Pain or distress 5 |
|
Subdued sorrow (6 |
0 x |
Curiosity x |
Puzzle Bewilderment x |
Bewilderment x |
|
|
|
9 Desp grief |
Grief 9 |
Pain or distress 5 |
|
To move |
Scorn |
Despairing sorrow 12 |
Suffering Endurance 13 |
An unhappy gentleman 14 |
|
|
|
10 Fright with agony |
Seen a ghost 8 |
Horror 9 |
|
Extreme horror |
Suffering x |
Agony x |
Terror 11 |
Horror 12 |
|
|
|
11 Hardness |
Contempt or reproof |
0 |
|
Synical pride |
|
0 |
0 |
Nothing |
6 |
|
|
29
(3 (1)
|
Strickland |
George |
Huxley |
R Ruck |
Clement Wedgwood |
Miss L. Horner |
Miss Perty |
Mrs Perty |
Laughter (11 |
Internal amusement |
Laughter |
Wicked joke |
Bewilderment |
Amusement |
(Half-laughing & half amazed x |
Pain x |
|
Astonishment (2) |
Woeful a[illeg] |
Surprise |
Surprise |
Astonishment. |
Surprise |
Terror x |
S[illeg] |
astonishment |
Fright (3) Used |
Horror
|
Terror |
Extreme horror Fright |
terror |
Horror |
Extreme discomfort |
Fear |
Dismay |
Despair grief (4) |
Contempt 1 |
Dejection (1) |
Contempt 2 (Bearing pain [illeg]) x |
Hatred x |
Supercilious contempt, owing to lower lip 3 |
Disgust (1) |
Disgust (2) |
Misery (2) |
Torture & agony (5) |
Disgust 1 |
Rage (1) |
Torture agony 1 |
Anger (2) |
Anger (3) |
Pain 2 |
Horror 3 |
Terror |
½ /lac crying (6) |
0 x |
Crying 1 |
Commencement of extreme agony 2 |
pain 3 |
jocund x |
Ready to cry (4) |
Necessary a distance x |
Pain 5 |
½ laughing ½ crying (7) |
Tickled, amused (1) |
Laugh 2 |
Fun 3 |
Amusement 4 |
Laughing 5 |
Laughing (6) |
Assert with laughing 7 |
Laughing 8 |
0 x |
Grief 1 |
0 x |
disgust x |
0 x |
Annoyance 2 |
Annoyance 3 |
Suffering 4 |
|
Suffering 8 |
Enquiry thought x |
0 x |
Surprise and incredulity x |
Pain 1 |
Puzzlement x |
Tragic feeling 2 |
Tragic feeling 3 |
Annoying 4 |
Deep grief 9 |
Sorrow 1 |
Grief x |
Patient suffering 3 |
Grief 4 |
Grief 5 |
Tragic feeling 6 |
[illeg] 7 |
Melancholy 8 |
Fright with & Pain & Torture 10 |
Fright 1 |
Terror 2 |
Surprise & Horror. 3 |
Agony x |
Horror verging on madness. 4 |
Extreme terror 5 |
Anger or terror 6 |
Fright 7 |
Hardness 11 |
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Surly reserve |
Decided character |
Th[illeg] |
29v
7 - 1 per 1 per & George
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 13 February, 2026