Wallace's passion for gardening
Catalogue number: WP1/2/38
Letter from Wallace to his daughter Violet discussing the ferns in the garden and asking about her job, dated October 1893.
Wallace, his wife Annie and daughter Violet shared a love of plants and gardening. In this letter, Wallace remembers how he and Violet 'found' some rare ferns 'at the top of that forsaken valley where tourists go not'. Nowadays, of course, it is illegal to take certain plants from the wild.
There are around 130 letters to Violet in the collection, covering an 18-year period. A devoted father, Wallace seems particularly fond of Violet, perhaps because they had so many shared interests. Wallace generally signs off as 'your affectionate Papa'. Wallace had three children, but only William and Violet survived to adulthood.
Toolbox
Contact us
For enquiries about the Wallace Collection please email the library
Search this collection
Wallace Letters Online
View high resolution scans and transcripts of Alfred Russel Wallace's correspondence, including all surviving letters between him and Charles Darwin.