Provenance

Variously acquired, including purchases from Paul Richards, Joseph Rubinfine, Charles Hamilton, Winifred Myers, Julia Sweet Ne. See in-house shelf list for additional accession dates and numbers.

General physical description

16 items, .25 linear feet.

Related material

There are additional Agassiz letters indexed in other collections at the American Philosophical Society.

Early American History Note

The collection of Louis Agassiz correspondence consists of approximately fifty letters that discuss a wide range of topics at the fore of scientific thought in the mid to late nineteenth century. Many letters are short acknowledgements sent to various friends and acquaintances. Some letters are in French, although most are in English and are addressed to American correspondents. Topics of longer letters include his views on the origins of mankind and races, plant life in the Caribbean, and the possible scientific causes for “spiritual manifestations.” Most letters date from 1850 onward and are thus outside the scope of this guide.