"Whenever there is intense blushing," wrote Charles Darwin in 1872, "there will be some, and often great, confusion of mind."
The modest Victorian himself was confused on one point: just how far down did a blush extend? A Frenchman had once told him that some bashful artists' models blush clear to their toes, but that hearsay evidence was not scientific enough for the great fact collector. Darwin wrote to his friend and portraitist Thomas Woolner, begging the advice of "a cautious and careful English artist" on the subject. Thanks to him, Darwin was able to state that "with English women, blushing...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
