Charles Darwin And His Theory Of Evolution

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882) and the 150th anniversary of his voyage on the Beagle, four island territories, St. Helena, Ascension, the Falkland Islands, and Mauritius, issued in 1982 a commemorative series consisting of one set from each territory.

Here is the St. Helena set:




About the 25P stamp: Darwin studied the Ring-necked Pheasant and the Chukar Partridge in his work on domestication and hybridization, noting their variations and the results of cross-breeding experiments. By examining these game birds, he showed how closely related species can interbreed, illustrating the fluid boundaries between species and supporting his broader arguments about variation, selection, and evolution.

Second set is from Ascension.




About the 15P stamp: Between 1845 and 1854, Darwin devoted nearly a decade to the study of crustaceans, especially barnacles. This meticulous research in classification, anatomy, and variation established his reputation as a serious zoologist and sharpened the observational skills that later shaped On the Origin of Species. Crabs, including the red crab, are often used symbolically in Darwin-related themes to highlight his foundational work on marine life and the importance of island ecosystems in evolutionary thought.

Stamp from Romania (1959)

Third set is from Falkland Islands.




About the 25P.: Darwin observed the warrah (Dusicyon australis), the Falkland Islands wolf, during the Beagle voyage in 1833. Its isolation and puzzling distribution led him to question traditional views of species origins, making the warrah an early clue in the development of his evolutionary ideas.

Souvenir sheet from French Polynesia

Text :
Darwin made a study trip to Tahiti in 1935 on board of the ship HMS Beagle
In his notes he wrote "there is a gentleness in the expression of their faces which at once banishes the idea of savagery and shows the intelligence of an advanced civilization".

Fourth and last set is from Mauritius.




About the R2.5 stamp: During his Beagle voyage, Darwin had the unusual experience of riding an elephant while visiting Mauritius in May 1836. A local man named Lloyd provided the animal for travelers, and Darwin described the ride as silent in the elephant's step but rather fatiguing over distance. He noted the novelty and interest of the experience, recording it as one of the many impressions of unfamiliar animals and cultures he encountered. Though a brief episode, the elephant ride reflects Darwin's curiosity about the natural world and human use of animals during his global journey.

This above set from Mauritius completes the 1982 omnibus series issued by four island territories, St. Helena, Ascension, the Falkland Islands, and Mauritius, commemorating the centenary of Charles Darwin's death (1809–1882) and the 150th anniversary of his Beagle voyage. Note that each Darwin stamp design portrays him at a different stage of his life, together forming a visual timeline of the naturalist's career.

Here are all together.

To mark the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species, Gibraltar issued a set of four stamps in 2009. Each stamp features an archival photograph of Darwin at a different stage of his life, together with famous scans from his original publications and manuscripts. I have included the publication illustrations sourced from the Darwin Online website, the most comprehensive resource with scans of all Darwin's works, photographs, and manuscripts.

Fifth stamp of the above Gibraltar set was issued in SS. It shows Darwin photograph by photographs by Elliott & Fry, 1881 and a photo of the house he was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.


The SS margins feature several photographs and sketches from Darwin life, famous illustrations from his publications and manuscripts. For examples.

- A pastel chalk drawing by Ellen Sharples of Charles Darwin and his sister Catherine in 1816.
- Darwin with his first child William Erasmus by Antoine-François-Jean Claudet (1797-1867)

Darwin on a German cinderella (the text is only about the "Kosmos" club in Stuttgart, no reference to Darwin)

Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817–1911) was a prominent British botanist and explorer, regarded as one of the founders of geographical botany. He served for twenty years as director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, where he greatly advanced plant science and collections. Hooker was also Charles Darwin's closest friend and confidant. Darwin first shared with him his early ideas on the transmutation of species and natural selection, and Hooker responded with thoughtful, critical feedback after reading Darwin's unpublished 'Essay.' Their extensive correspondence continued throughout the development of Darwin's theory, with Darwin later writing that Hooker was 'the one living soul from whom I have constantly received sympathy.

Centenary of Hooker death, issued by Mozambique in 2011.





Before On the Origin of Species was published, Darwin also entrusted Hooker, alongside Lyell, with drafts of his work, reflecting the depth of their intellectual and personal bond. - Cuba, 2009.

Nice depiction of Darwin's evolution theory shows a fish fin, an aquatic creature, evolved to different types of limbs in different animals like wing in bird and hand in human. This sheet was issued by North Korea in 1999 to commemorate the 190th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin.

FD postmark shows Darwin, issued with this set.

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, the GB issued in 2009 a set of self adhesive stamps shows Darwin and his fields of research: Zoology, Ornithology, Geology, Botany and Anthropology.

Kliment Arkadievich Timiryazev (1843–1920) was a Russian botanist and plant physiologist who founded the faculty of plant physiology and a laboratory at the Petrovskoye Academy. He became one of the leading advocates of Darwin's theory of evolution in Russia, meeting Darwin at Down House in 1877. Timiryazev promoted Darwinism through his scientific works and even prepared a Russian translation of On the Origin of Species. However, he strongly criticized the phrase 'struggle for existence,' considering it a misleading metaphor with harmful social implications, and argued that Darwinism could be taught without it.

The 20th death anniversary of K. A. Timiryazev, issued by the USSR on June 1, 1940.

- Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, Moscow
- Timiryazev at his lab
- Timiryazev and old microscope
- Statue of Timiryazev, Tverskoy Boulevard, Moscow, by Sergey Merkurov

Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin (1855–1935) was a Russian horticulturist and plant breeder renowned in the Soviet Union for developing new fruit varieties. He considered his work an application of Darwin's principles of variation and selection to practical agriculture, emphasizing the role of the environment and the ability of humans to "direct" evolution through controlled breeding. In Soviet ideology, his legacy was framed as "Michurinist Biology," portrayed as a continuation of Darwinism but often set against Western Mendelian genetics, and later tied to Trofim Lysenko's controversial rejection of classical genetics. In this way, Michurin symbolized the transformation of Darwinian ideas into both practical plant science and ideological tools in early 20th-century Russia.

Michurin, USSR, 1949.

Centenary of Michurin birthday, USSR, 1955.


The 125th anniversary birth of Michurin, USSR, 1980.