Communications

WANN Microphone

Tools of communication have transformed American society time and again over the past two centuries. The Museum has preserved many instruments of these changes, from printing presses to personal digital assistants.

The collections include hundreds of artifacts from the printing trade and related fields, including papermaking equipment, wood and metal type collections, bookbinding tools, and typesetting machines. Benjamin Franklin is said to have used one of the printing presses in the collection in 1726.

More than 7,000 objects chart the evolution of electronic communications, including the original telegraph of Samuel Morse and Alexander Graham Bell's early telephones. Radios, televisions, tape recorders, and the tools of the computer age are part of the collections, along with wireless phones and a satellite tracking system.

Name: Ferris, Stephen James

Portrait of Henry M. Phillips

Stephen Ferris signed and dated this pencil portrait in 1876.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Stephen Ferris signed and dated this pencil portrait in 1876.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1876
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16663
catalog number
16663
accession number
119780

Portrait of Gerome Ferris

Stephen Ferris drew his young son in pencil on January 20, 1868. Gerome would have been about five.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Stephen Ferris drew his young son in pencil on January 20, 1868. Gerome would have been about five.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1868-01-20
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16654
catalog number
16654
accession number
119780

Portrait of Señorita Matilde Gadia

The signed pencil portrait of Señorita Gadia was made in Granada, Spain, during Ferris’s 1881 visit. See also GA*16669 for another member of the family.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
The signed pencil portrait of Señorita Gadia was made in Granada, Spain, during Ferris’s 1881 visit. See also GA*16669 for another member of the family.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1881
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16675
catalog number
16675
accession number
119780

Portrait of Miss Drysdale

Signed pencil drawing made in 1883Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Signed pencil drawing made in 1883
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1883
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16672
catalog number
16672
accession number
119780

Portrait of Mlle. Bellamy

Signed pencil sketch, dated 1906Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Signed pencil sketch, dated 1906
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1906
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16686
catalog number
16686
accession number
119780

An Etching Society Outing

This light-hearted etching by Stephen Ferris, the Philadelphia Society of Etchers Outing in 1900, recalls the sixth such event held by the Society on the Neshaminy River near Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
Description
This light-hearted etching by Stephen Ferris, the Philadelphia Society of Etchers Outing in 1900, recalls the sixth such event held by the Society on the Neshaminy River near Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Etching, eating, and games were the outing’s major activities.
Ferris was a founding member of the Society, organized in 1880, and its first treasurer. Initially, it was an important source for information in the Philadelphia area about the newly revived technique of etching. The group met monthly during the summer for more than twenty years, offering occasions for its members to exchange prints.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1900
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14476
accession number
94830
catalog number
14476

Ferris's Daughter May

Stephen James Ferris etched an undated portrait of his daughter, May, in the costume of a bull fighter, and dedicated this impression to her. May Electa Ferris was born in 1871, eight years after her brother, Jean Leon Gerome Ferris.
Description
Stephen James Ferris etched an undated portrait of his daughter, May, in the costume of a bull fighter, and dedicated this impression to her. May Electa Ferris was born in 1871, eight years after her brother, Jean Leon Gerome Ferris. Like her father and brother, she was an artist. She learned to etch from her father and became known as an etcher and landscape painter, exhibiting in the 1880s and 1890s. Her paintings were reproduced as calendar artwork into the 1920s under her married name, May Ferris Smith.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c. 1890
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14405.01
accession number
94830
catalog number
14405.01

Study of a Dog

An initialed sketch in pencil of a dog called Black made in 1875
Description (Brief)
An initialed sketch in pencil of a dog called Black made in 1875
date made
1875
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16689
catalog number
16689
accession number
119780

House of Pilate, Seville

Stephen Ferris identified this unsigned watercolor as the House of Pilate (Casa de Pilatos) in Seville, Spain. The palace was built in the sixteenth century and today is the official residence of the Dukes of Medinaceli.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Stephen Ferris identified this unsigned watercolor as the House of Pilate (Casa de Pilatos) in Seville, Spain. The palace was built in the sixteenth century and today is the official residence of the Dukes of Medinaceli.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1881
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14542
catalog number
14542
accession number
94830

Portrait of a Spanish Lady

An unfinished, unsigned pencil drawing made in Granada, Spain while Ferris was visiting there with his son Gerome in 1881.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
An unfinished, unsigned pencil drawing made in Granada, Spain while Ferris was visiting there with his son Gerome in 1881.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1881
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16668
catalog number
16668
accession number
119780

Sketch of a Dead Mouse

A signed and dated ink drawing made on January 8, 1876, which took 40 minutes to complete. There is a sketch of a horse's legs on the verso with notes on the anatomy.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A signed and dated ink drawing made on January 8, 1876, which took 40 minutes to complete. There is a sketch of a horse's legs on the verso with notes on the anatomy.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1876-01-08
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16697
catalog number
16697
accession number
119780

Portrait of Gillian Kinney

Stephen Ferris’s maternal aunt Gillian Kinney sat to him in Davenport, Iowa, in August of 1886 for this signed pencil portrait.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Stephen Ferris’s maternal aunt Gillian Kinney sat to him in Davenport, Iowa, in August of 1886 for this signed pencil portrait.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1886
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16647
catalog number
16647
accession number
119780

View in the Alhambra, Spain

Stephen Ferris sketched and painted this pencil and watercolor view of buildings in the Alhambra complex of Granada, Spain, in 1881. This is not a finished view but a work in progress.
Description
Stephen Ferris sketched and painted this pencil and watercolor view of buildings in the Alhambra complex of Granada, Spain, in 1881. This is not a finished view but a work in progress. The people rendered in pencil outline have not been colored, and there are many second thoughts like the tree at left, which has been enlarged. While in Granada, Ferris wrote a friend that he and his son were busy making sketches “much in memorandum for future use in pictures.” So captivated were they by the city that they spent more than half their Spanish visit there.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1881
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14545
catalog number
14545
accession number
94830

Portrait of Mrs. Lynde

Unsigned pencil drawingCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
Unsigned pencil drawing
Location
Currently not on view
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16677
catalog number
16677
accession number
119780

Keeper of the Torre de la Vela, Alhambra

Ferris made this watercolor sketch during his visit to southern Spain in 1881. See also GA*16683, Curator of the Alhambra, who looks very much like this man.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Ferris made this watercolor sketch during his visit to southern Spain in 1881. See also GA*16683, Curator of the Alhambra, who looks very much like this man.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1881
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16703
catalog number
16703
accession number
119780

Roman Chariot Race

Stephen Ferris collaborated with his brother-in-law Peter Moran in 1875 to make this large reproductive etching of Alexander von Wagner’s stirring painting Chariot Race in the Circus Maximus, Rome in the Presence of the Emperor Domitian.
Description
Stephen Ferris collaborated with his brother-in-law Peter Moran in 1875 to make this large reproductive etching of Alexander von Wagner’s stirring painting Chariot Race in the Circus Maximus, Rome in the Presence of the Emperor Domitian. The scale of the work required an oversized copper plate, which was difficult to find. The young artists, who were new to the etching medium, fabricated their plate from the bottom of a copper boiler, according to H. R.Wray's 1893 Review of Etching in the United States. Moran, who would specialize in animal subjects, etched the horses, the archway in the background, and the roadway. Ferris, known for his portraits, etched the figures and the rest of the architecture. This etching was one of the largest made in the US at the time. The print was well received; the New York Times noted: “Of the style of execution we can speak only in the highest terms.”
Alexander von Wagner (1838–1919), a Hungarian artist active in Germany, also enjoyed considerable success when he exhibited the painting Chariot Race in Europe in 1872. Wagner painted other versions; one was shown to critical acclaim at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876. The Manchester Art Gallery in England owns a version, which may be seen on its website. It was not unusual at that time for an artist to paint several versions of a popular subject in different sizes.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1882
1875
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
original artist
Wagner
graphic artist
Moran, Peter
publisher
J. C. McCurdy & Co.
ID Number
GA.14534
catalog number
14534
accession number
94830

Seville, Spain

Ferris painted the watercolor and graphite view of an unidentified building in Seville during his 1881 visit to southern Spain.
Description (Brief)
Ferris painted the watercolor and graphite view of an unidentified building in Seville during his 1881 visit to southern Spain. In an enthusiastic letter to an acquaintance, Ferris described Seville: “what a picturesque city for artists every window a decoration of flowers and the people so picturesque painting cannot describe it.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1881
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14551
catalog number
14551
accession number
94830

Dreamland

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1883
publisher
Klackner, C.
etcher
Ferris, Stephen James
maker
Weldon, Charles Dater
ID Number
2017.0262.01
accession number
2017.0262
catalog number
2017.0262.01

Portrait of Mrs. Llewellyn

Stephen Ferris noted that Mrs. Llewellyn lived in Merion Square, Pennsylvania, and was 100 years old in October, 1879, when, presumably, he made the signed pencil drawing.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Stephen Ferris noted that Mrs. Llewellyn lived in Merion Square, Pennsylvania, and was 100 years old in October, 1879, when, presumably, he made the signed pencil drawing.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1879-10
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16680
catalog number
16680
accession number
119780

Portrait of Jean-Léon Gérôme

Stephen Ferris etched a dapper J. L. Gérôme (1824–1904) in 1899, near the end of Gérôme’s very successful career as painter and sculptor. Ferris had admired the French artist’s work for many years, at least since 1863 when he named his son after him.
Description
Stephen Ferris etched a dapper J. L. Gérôme (1824–1904) in 1899, near the end of Gérôme’s very successful career as painter and sculptor. Ferris had admired the French artist’s work for many years, at least since 1863 when he named his son after him. Although Ferris never actually met Gérôme, the two artists had corresponded. For this print Ferris used a photograph he had received from Gérôme. He then sent Gérôme trial proofs for comments and requested a signature to include in the final impressions, which appears here at lower left.
Gérôme congratulated Ferris on the portrait as “work done with great care and great talent—the effect is very good and very firm. If I had any criticism to make, I would reserve it for the background, which is a little too even, and for the clothing, which has a little softness in the execution.” Gérôme also suggested that the highlight on the order which appears on his left breast and is not particularly noticeable in the photograph, be less bright. The order remains brightly lit, possibly Ferris’s tribute to Gérôme.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1879
date made
1899
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14396.01
accession number
94830
catalog number
14396.01

House of the Mountebank, Cairo, Egypt

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1870
1879
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14399.01
accession number
94830
catalog number
14399.01

Alhambra, Hall of the Ambassadors

An unsigned exterior view of the Hall of the Ambassadors in the Alhambra complex of Granada, Spain. In another watercolor, the view serves as a frame for a story in the making. See GA*14539.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
An unsigned exterior view of the Hall of the Ambassadors in the Alhambra complex of Granada, Spain. In another watercolor, the view serves as a frame for a story in the making. See GA*14539.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14544
catalog number
14544
accession number
94830

Herr Storck's Hands

Sculptor Carol Storck (1854-1926) whose hands are shown in Ferris’s signed pencil drawing was from Bucharest, Romania. He worked in the United States for four years, before returning to Europe.
Description (Brief)
Sculptor Carol Storck (1854-1926) whose hands are shown in Ferris’s signed pencil drawing was from Bucharest, Romania. He worked in the United States for four years, before returning to Europe. On the verso, there is an ink sketch of a soldier who appears in Mariano Fortuny’s painting Court of Justice in the Alhambra. Gerome Ferris made two prints of this subject in reverse, one large and one small.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1879-08-26
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16687
catalog number
16687
accession number
119780

Portrait of a Moorish Woman

A signed and dated ink wash and line study of a Moorish woman made in 1879Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
A signed and dated ink wash and line study of a Moorish woman made in 1879
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1879
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16698
catalog number
16698
accession number
119780

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