Professor Huxley

Portrait of Thomas Henry Huxley PC FRS (1825 -1895) who was an English biologist (anatomist), known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Huxley was made Assistant Surgeon ('surgeon's mate') to HMS Rattlesnake, about to start for a voyage of discovery and surveying to New Guinea and Australia. W(illiam) & D(aniel) Downey, was one of the most prestigious photography studios in Victorian London. From 1890-1894 the publisher Cassell & Co. issued a five volume collection of Downey portraits titled; "Cabinet Portrait Gallery". These volumes were comprised of portraits of eminent persons in all fields. The photographs were issued as carbon prints, a time consuming photographic process that, because it contains no silver, is not prone to fading. Each photo was mounted separately to a page with a simple title and the Downey name and studio address printed below, and bound into a volume. Some light faint foxing in margins.