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Edward Drinker Cope Papers, 1848-1940 (bulk 1855-1896)

Ms. Coll. 956
ca. 110 items (1 box)

Table of contents:

Biographical background

Edward Drinker Cope (1840-1897) was the son of Alfred and Hannah (Edge) Cope. He attended Westtown School and the University of Pennsylvania. Cope was a professor at Haverford College from 1864-1867 at which time he resigned due to poor health. In 1884 he was the curator of the National Museum in Washington, D.C. and in 1891 taught geology at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1896 he held the position of president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. During his career he discovered and described over 1,000 species of fossil vertebrates and published 600 separate titles.

(Biographical information from: Dictionary of Quaker Biography)

Links to images

The following are all of the image links within this finding aid.

Scanned Image Colored drawings of fish ("Ichthaeluris McCaskei" and "I. Kevinskei") labeled "J. Stauffer. 1870" (image 59k)

Scanned Image Page 1 Letter of Louis Agassiz, Cambridge, Feb. 5, 1869, to Edward Drinker Cope. Letter discusses Cope's article "Origin of Genera" and evolution. Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 (each approx. 78k)

Summary of collection

Letters, notebooks, notes and sketches related to Cope's work in paleontology and related natural sciences. Collection contains sketches of birds, reptiles and amphibians, some colored. Includes letters on various scientific subjects from Alexander Agassiz, Louis Agassiz, Alexander Graham Bell, Pliny Earle Chase, Havelock Ellis, Benjamin Apthorp Gould, Arnold Henry Guyot, Joseph Henry, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Thomas Henry Huxley, Maria Mitchell, Sir Richard Owen, Robert Edwin Peary, Herbert Spencer and others.

Related collections

Additional Edward Drinker Cope (1840-1897) papers may be found in Cope-Evans family papers, 1732-1911, Ms. Coll. 1170 (Box 5, folder 6).

Arrangement and description of collection

Collection is arranged in 20 folders, folders 1-3 are notebooks, drawings and miscellaneous letters; folders 4-19 are letters from individuals, arranged alphabetically; folder 20 contains an addition to the Edward Drinker Cope papers.

  1. .2 Notebooks
    "Swainson's classification of birds with a few alterations by Jardine & others. Edward D. Cope. 1855" - includes sketches
    "Class Reptila" - also amphibians
  2. Pictures and drawings
    includes:
    • 2 photographs of amphibians labeled from O.C. Marsh, Oct. 1, 1868 [Othniel Charles Marsh, 1831-1899]
    • colored drawing of frogs labeled [S. or T.] H. Richardson
    • pencil sketch of snake head
    • pencil sketch of frog
    • 2 [plates from a book?] of x-ray photographs of snake and fish
    • ink sketch of skull
    • colored drawings of frogs
    • 3 notes (in French) with description of snakes and ink drawings, labeled "[A] Duges" 1892
    • colored drawing of golden-hooded flycatcher
    • colored drawing of fish
    • colored drawings of frogs
    • 1 sheet "Development of the Cod, by John A. Ryder"
    • Scanned Image Colored drawings of fish ("Ichthaeluris McCaskei" and "I. Kevinskei") labeled "J. Stauffer. 1870" (image 59k)k)
  3. Miscellaneous letters
    letters are from the following:
    • Braithwaite, J. Bevan (1818-1905)
      ALS, [Aug.] 16, 1889
    • Carus, Julius Victor (1823-1903)
      2 ALS, 1878-1879
    • Chase, Pliny E. (1820-1886)
      ALS, [March] 29, 1883
    • Darling, W. Boyd
      ALS, [May] 22, 1891
    • Dumeril, A. August
      ALS, Dec. 29, 1858 (in French, addressed to Dr. Hallowell, Phila.)
    • Darwin, Francis
      ALS, Dec. 19, 1882 (asks to see and make copies of any letters from his father, Charles Darwin)
    • Dean, Bashford (1867-1928)
      ALS, Jan. 7, 1892
    • Gaudry, Albert (1827-1908)
      3 ALS, 1878-1879 (in French)
    • Haeckel, Ernst (1834-1919)
      ALS, [April 12], 1894
    • Henry, Joseph (1797-1878)
      2 ALS, 1869-1870
    • Herrera, A.L.
      ALS, Dec. 2, 1893 (accompanied by pencil sketch of skull)
    • LeConte, Joseph (1823-1901)
      ALS, Sept. 1, 1894
    • Mitsukuri, K.
      ALS, March 21, 1893
    • Newton, Alfred (1829-1907)
      ALS, Nov. 15, 1893
    • Poulton, E.B.
      ALS, Feb. 14, 1894
    • Remsen, Ira (1846-1927)
      ALS, March 28, 1889
    • Romanes, G.J. (1848-1894)
      ALS, Jan. 4, 1890
    • Smith, Daniel B. (1792-1883)
      ALS, [July] 6, 1871
    • Stuart, Edwin S.
      ALS, April 26, 1894
  4. Agassiz, Alexander (1835-1910)
    5 ALS 1884-1896 Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass.
  5. Agassiz, Louis (1807-1873)
    4 ALS 1867-1869
    topics: fossils, evolution, etc.
    Scanned Image Page 1 Letter of Louis Agassiz, Cambridge, Feb. 5, 1869, to Edward Drinker Cope. Letter discusses Cope's article "Origin of Genera" and evolution. Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 (each approx. 78k)
  6. Bell, Alexander Graham (1847-1922)
    ALS May 5, 1888
    topics: hereditary deafness in humans
  7. Ellis, Havelock (1859-1939)
    2 ALS Oct. 4 and Dec. 2, 1893
    topics: publication of EDC's "Lamarkism, the factors of evolution."[?] in the Contemporary Science Series
  8. Gould, Benjamin A. (1824-1896)
    ALS Cambridge, March 30, 1896 addressed to Prof. Wm. H. Collins
    topics: observations of double stars
  9. Guyot, Arnold Henry (1807-1884)
    2 ALS Princeton, N.J., 1875 and 1878
  10. Holmes, Oliver Wendell (1809-1894)
    ALS Boston, Nov. 26, 1889
    topics: thanks EDC for a copy of "Outline of the philosophy of evolution"
  11. Huxley, Thomas H. (1825-1895)
    ALS London, Feb. 2[], 1867
    topics: sends EDC copy of his paper "Euskel[esauum]"
  12. McCosh, James (1811-1894)
    ALS Princeton, N.J., Dec. 17, 1878
  13. Mitchell, Maria (1818-1889)
    ALS Poughkeepsie, Nov. 7, 1881
  14. Owen, Richard (1804-1892)
    6 ALS 1873-1887 topics: fossils
  15. Peary, Robert E. (1856-1920)
    TLS Phila., Oct. 8, 1892
    topics: article for the Naturalist
  16. Pepper, William (1843-1898)
    2 ALS [Phila.?], Sept. 29, 1889 and undated
    topics: collection of EDC
  17. Rhoads, James E. (1828-1895)
    2 ALS Bryn Mawr, 1885 and 1886
    topics: awarding of honorary degree to EDC from Heidelburg University
  18. Seeley, Harry G.
    4 ALS 1871-1884
    topics:
    • fossils
    • Bigsby gold medal awarded to EDC from Geological Society of London
    • EDC's trip to England
    • regrets that he can't come to America
  19. Spencer, Herbert (1820-1903)
    ALS London, March 8, 1893
    topics:
    • Spencer's article "The inadequacy of natural selection"
  20. 20. Cope, Edward Drinker (1840-1897)
    Additions to papers [Gift of Ernest and Ruth Dewees, Nov. 1971]
    includes:
    • photocopies of EDC's notebook "Swainson's classification of birds with a few alterations..."
    • Ms. "The history of the Art Gallery of Laodicea' a parody with notes by Henry J. Cadbury"
    • notebook inscribed "Edward D. Cope" on cover, "Observations in plantas atque animalia consuetudinesque, MDCCCLVIII" [1858], with some sketches
    • article from The Haverfordian, May 1940, vol. LIX, no. 2, entitled "Edward Drinker Cope (1840-1897)"
    • pocket diary "Excelsior Diary for 1884"
    • notebook of classification scheme
    • ALS May, 23, 1862 from J. Thomas
    • misc. botanical notes (lists of plant names)
    • notes on birds (lists of names)
    • notes on trees (lists of names)
    • misc. notes on plants and animals (1848 and undated)
    • 2 essays (schoolwork?)
    • pocket notebook "Excelsior diary for 1893"

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Contact Diana Franzusoff Peterson (dfpeters@haverford.edu or 610-896-1284) for more information about this collection. Please include the manuscript collection number in your request.

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