DARWIN - The basics.

What did Darwin look like?

Charles Darwin stood about 5 feet, 11 1/2 inches tall and weighed, after his famous Beagle Voyage, 148 pounds (10.5 stone).
Judging from older photographs, it is likely that he gained a bit of weight in his later years. He had dark brown hair, with a receding hairline on his forehead, and thick curly sideburns. His piercing blue-gray eyes were set off by large overhanging bushy eyebrows. I

n his elderly years his hairline receded a great deal, his face turned a healthy ruddy color (his complexion often gave people the mistaken impression that Darwin was in fine health!), and his forehead developed deep horizontal wrinkles. In January 1866 he grew a large flowing unkempt gray-white beard, perhaps to hide the ravages of health problems, or to prevent people from recognizing him.

 His plan worked, for while attending a meeting of the Royal Society on 27 April hardly anyone recognized him, even his closest friend, Joseph Hooker!

What were some of his other physical attributes?

Most of Darwin's physical characteristics are known from his later years, as described by his children.
Charles Darwin had no natural grace of movement, and was awkward with his hands. He walked with a swinging action, striking his cane loudly on the ground as he went. Indoors his step was slow and labored.

He became excited when engaged in conversation and was very animated and bright eyed, even when he was in ill health. He often used hand gestures when talking, perhaps as an aid to himself, rather than to the listener.
In old age Darwin stooped a great deal. He had a hearty laugh, often raising his hands or bringing them down with a slap on his thighs.

It is known that Darwin sometimes spoke with a stutter. Apparently, when puzzled during a conversation he pronounced the first word of a sentence with a slight stammer, mainly words starting with the letter "W".

Another interesting attribute is that unless a topic of conversation was related to his current research, Darwin was very slow at forming the wording of an argument. The flow of his conversation with others must have been difficult to follow, for he would often go off on a tangent this way, then another tangent that way, in whatever topic he was discussing.

What was Darwin like as a child? (up to about age 9)

In his Autobiography, Darwin (called Charley and Bobby during this time) describes himself as being a rather "naughty" child.
This is borne out in his stories of stealing fruit from the orchard trees on the side of his parents house, making up wild stories, and striving to be the center of attention in the family.

His sister, Caroline, may have helped him become the center of attention by blaming him for everything that went wrong in the household, much to Darwin's dismay. He was also a very clumsy boy.

Darwin recounts one story of his childhood in which he was strolling along a stone wall, apparently lost in thought, and walked right off the edge and fell about eight feet to the ground! Darwin had excellent athletic abilities, being a swift runner and an excellent rock thrower.

There are some indications that he was a rather gullible child.
On one occasion a childhood friend of Darwin's convinced him that if he went into any shop in Shrewsbury and wore a special hat which he moved in a certain way for the shopkeeper, he could take whatever he wanted for free.
Well, Darwin tried the hat in a bakery shop, took some cakes, moved the hat for the shopkeeper, and headed out the door. Imagine the shock when the man made a rush for poor Darwin as he dropped the cakes ran for dear life!

Ironic as it may seem, Charles Darwin was a lazy young man, and a slow learner in school. He was at first educated by his sister, Caroline, before attending Revd. Case's grammar school in Shrewsbury.
He was a rather shy student but he did take great pleasure in showing off his athletic skills to the other school boys. It is not known how well Darwin did at Revd. Case's school, but it is safe to say that he was likely an unremarkable student.

The first sparks of interest in natural history were developed very early in his childhood. Darwin relates how his mother, Susannah, taught him how to change the color of flowers by giving them water mixed with food coloring. He was also, at a very early age, interested in the variability of plants, and was perhaps influenced here by the gardens his father kept at the house.
As a young boy he delighted in collecting minerals, insects, coins, stamps and other odd bits. Darwin did not, however, put much study into these objects, and seems to have collected them for the mere pleasure of it.

Darwin also had an extreme fondness of dogs - easily winning their affection, and took great pleasure in fishing along the River Severn that flowed along the back of his parents house.

[ source AboutDarwin.com ]