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 a Bearded Old Man

An initialed drawing in pencil made in 1876Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
An initialed drawing in pencil made in 1876
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1876
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16690
catalog number
16690
accession number
119780

Barbizon School Artists

Stephen James Ferris etched this group portrait The Barbizon School: Seven French Artists as a frontispiece for the auction catalog of works from the J. C. Runkle collection, sold in New York in March 1883.
Description
Stephen James Ferris etched this group portrait The Barbizon School: Seven French Artists as a frontispiece for the auction catalog of works from the J. C. Runkle collection, sold in New York in March 1883. Artists of the Barbizon School, named after a rural village in France near which many of them worked outdoors, specialized in realistic landscapes and animal paintings. Samuel P. Avery had arranged the sale and the catalog, which was illustrated with fifteen etchings by four American etchers. This print marks the first time that an auction catalog contained an original etching, as opposed to the usual reproductive etchings. The New York Times gave a favorable review of Ferris’s print.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1883
publisher
Avery, Samuel Putnam
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14508
accession number
94830
catalog number
14508

Portrait of Old Man with Beard

Pencil drawing on brown paper, which has been signed and dated 1876Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Pencil drawing on brown paper, which has been signed and dated 1876
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1876
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16694
catalog number
16694
accession number
119780

Portrait of Curator of the Alhambra

Stephen Ferris made this pencil sketch of a distinguished, pensive older man he called the “Curator of the Alhambra” during his two-month stay in Granada, Spain, in 1881.
Description
Stephen Ferris made this pencil sketch of a distinguished, pensive older man he called the “Curator of the Alhambra” during his two-month stay in Granada, Spain, in 1881. A watercolor in the NMAH Ferris Collection of an almost identical gentleman is identified as the “Keeper of the Tore de la Vela,” the watchtower of the fortified citadel in the Alhambra complex. While Ferris, a portrait artist, was exploring the wonders of the Alhambra, he was also busy sketching people he met.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1881
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16683
accession number
119780
catalog number
GA*16683

Portrait of a Moor

The 1876 Centennial Exposition brought people and exhibits from around the world to Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park. Stephen Ferris, a resident of the city, visited the site on August 7 and recorded in pencil the face of this man, whom he called Maure [Moor].
Description
The 1876 Centennial Exposition brought people and exhibits from around the world to Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park. Stephen Ferris, a resident of the city, visited the site on August 7 and recorded in pencil the face of this man, whom he called Maure [Moor]. The man may have been one of the workers associated with an exhibit from Tunisia or Morocco. Ferris was very interested in North African subject matter at this time, due to his fondness for the works of Mariano Fortuny.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1876
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16664
catalog number
GA*16664
accession number
119,780

Portrait of Señorita Lola

Stephen Ferris’s note on the pencil drawing suggests that Señorita Lola might be Portuguese. Gerome Ferris was quite struck by the drawing and noted on it: “Magnificent! The history of a race.” It was made while Stephen and Gerome visited Spain in 1881.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Stephen Ferris’s note on the pencil drawing suggests that Señorita Lola might be Portuguese. Gerome Ferris was quite struck by the drawing and noted on it: “Magnificent! The history of a race.” It was made while Stephen and Gerome visited Spain in 1881.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1881
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16665
catalog number
16665
accession number
119780

Portrait of Annette Ryder Ferris

Stephen Ferris made this pencil portrait of his son Gerome’s new wife, Annette Ryder Ferris, in 1894. They were married in May of that year. Mrs.
Description
Stephen Ferris made this pencil portrait of his son Gerome’s new wife, Annette Ryder Ferris, in 1894. They were married in May of that year. Mrs. Ferris later donated prints, drawings, and photographs that had belonged to her father-in-law and her husband to the Smithsonian in 1932. Gerome Ferris had made an initial donation in 1927.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1894
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16651
catalog number
GA*16651
accession number
119,780

Apple

Signed watercolor sketch of an apple which Ferris made in 30 minutes on February 3, 1871Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Signed watercolor sketch of an apple which Ferris made in 30 minutes on February 3, 1871
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1871
maker
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16701
catalog number
16701
accession number
119780

Portrait of Dr. Berthollet

Signed and dated ink drawing on which Ferris noted: “5 minutes sketch”Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Signed and dated ink drawing on which Ferris noted: “5 minutes sketch”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1882
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16700
catalog number
16700
accession number
119780

Veteran of 1776

Although the watercolor of a Revolutionary War soldier in uniform with dog and child is not signed, Stephen Ferris etched a copper plate dated 1894, which shows a very similar scene without the child.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Although the watercolor of a Revolutionary War soldier in uniform with dog and child is not signed, Stephen Ferris etched a copper plate dated 1894, which shows a very similar scene without the child.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14594
catalog number
14594
accession number
94830

Portrait of Alvira Dean

An initialed, dated pencil portrait, which is one of four Ferris made of his sister’s children when he visited the family in Rock Island, Illinois, in 1875. See also: GA*16678, GA*16682, and GA*16684.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
An initialed, dated pencil portrait, which is one of four Ferris made of his sister’s children when he visited the family in Rock Island, Illinois, in 1875. See also: GA*16678, GA*16682, and GA*16684.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1875-08-04
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16679
catalog number
16679
accession number
119780

Cactus at the Alhambra

The signed watercolor of a cactus was made during Stephen Ferris’s visit to southern Spain in 1881 with his son, Gerome. Ferris drew another extravagant growth of cactus on a gypsy cave dwelling in the Granada area.
Description (Brief)
The signed watercolor of a cactus was made during Stephen Ferris’s visit to southern Spain in 1881 with his son, Gerome. Ferris drew another extravagant growth of cactus on a gypsy cave dwelling in the Granada area. See GA*14541.
Verso: There is a rough sketch of two reddish towers under an expansive sky on the verso. Although not identified, the quickly painted rectangular towers were probably part of the Alhambra complex in Granada where the cactus on the recto was painted..
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1881
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14550
catalog number
14550
accession number
94830

S. J. Ferris Self-portrait

Stephen James Ferris etched this self-portrait in October of 1880, probably as one of the prints exchanged by members of the Philadelphia Society of Etchers.
Description
Stephen James Ferris etched this self-portrait in October of 1880, probably as one of the prints exchanged by members of the Philadelphia Society of Etchers. Ferris was a founding member of the society, which formed earlier that year, three years after the establishment of the New York Etching Club, the first in the United States. Ferris had seen the etching process demonstrated in 1860 by John Sartain, an engraver. In 1875 Ferris produced one of his earliest etchings to be commercially published in the United States, a portrait of Mariano Fortuny (1838–1874).
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1880
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14388.02
accession number
94830
catalog number
14388

Portrait of Electa Kinney Ferris

Stephen Ferris made this pencil portrait of his mother from memory in 1890. She had died in 1848 near Yorkville, Illinois, after the birth of her fourteenth child, when Ferris was a boy of thirteen.
Description
Stephen Ferris made this pencil portrait of his mother from memory in 1890. She had died in 1848 near Yorkville, Illinois, after the birth of her fourteenth child, when Ferris was a boy of thirteen. Contrary to a contemporary biography’s claim that he was orphaned at ten, Ferris belonged to a large family which became even larger with his father’s remarriage. As a boy Ferris lived with a maternal uncle who offered him a chance to study at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia from the age of seventeen.
date made
1898
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16646
catalog number
16646
accession number
119780

Portrait of Mariano Fortuny

This profile portrait of Spanish painter and graphic artist Mariano Fortuny is one of two in the NMAH collection that Stephen Ferris made in 1875, soon after Fortuny’s untimely death at age thirty-six in Rome, Italy, on November 21, 1874.Gerome Ferris, in a note on the mount, ref
Description
This profile portrait of Spanish painter and graphic artist Mariano Fortuny is one of two in the NMAH collection that Stephen Ferris made in 1875, soon after Fortuny’s untimely death at age thirty-six in Rome, Italy, on November 21, 1874.
Gerome Ferris, in a note on the mount, refers to the print as an etching on glass. According to a contemporary, Stephen Ferris “was one of the first artists to practice etching on glass as it was miscalled at the time.” The cliché-verre process, as it known today, originated in France in the nineteenth century. The artist coats a glass plate with an opaque substance and then draws an image on it with a pointed instrument such as an etching needle. He then lays the plate image-side down on a sheet of photosensitized paper and exposes it to light.
This print and a second portrait of Fortuny by Ferris were the only two American etched portraits shown in the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. The revival of interest in etching that began in Europe during the 1860s did not really take off in the United States until about 1880, but visitors to the exhibition saw a modest number of American etchings at the beginning of the movement.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1873
1875
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14552
catalog number
14552
accession number
94830

Portrait of William Baker

Stephen Ferris etched the portrait of distinguished Philadelphian William Spohn Baker in 1882. Baker (1824–1897), a critic and author, wrote several books, including American Engravers and Their Works and The Origin and Antiquity of Engraving.
Description
Stephen Ferris etched the portrait of distinguished Philadelphian William Spohn Baker in 1882. Baker (1824–1897), a critic and author, wrote several books, including American Engravers and Their Works and The Origin and Antiquity of Engraving. An antiquarian who specialized in George Washington, he collected medals, biographies, and engraved portraits of the first president, and wrote about these subjects. Baker was an active member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, serving as a vice president from 1892 and also as a director of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1882
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14536.16
catalog number
14536.16
accession number
94830

Casa de Mariano

While in Granada, Spain in 1881, Stephen Ferris made the watercolor and pencil drawing of the Casa de Mariano.
Description (Brief)
While in Granada, Spain in 1881, Stephen Ferris made the watercolor and pencil drawing of the Casa de Mariano. He based his print Casa de Mariano (see GA*14404.03) on the drawing, but added details to the print like a donkey poking its head through the window and a woman spinning in the doorway of the cave.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1881
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14541
catalog number
14541
accession number
94830

Rustic Interior

An undated ink drawing which may have been intended for use as a reproductionCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
An undated ink drawing which may have been intended for use as a reproduction
Location
Currently not on view
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16696
catalog number
16696
accession number
119780

Well at the Alhambra

Unsigned watercolor made in Granada, Spain, where Ferris visited with his son Gerome in 1881. A wrought-iron device similar to a crown appears above the well.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Unsigned watercolor made in Granada, Spain, where Ferris visited with his son Gerome in 1881. A wrought-iron device similar to a crown appears above the well.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1881
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14549
catalog number
14549
accession number
94830

Portrait of Thomas Moran

Gerome Ferris signed and dated the 1888 pencil sketch of Thomas Moran on behalf of his father. For additional sketches see: See GA*16660, GA*16661 and GA*16662.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Gerome Ferris signed and dated the 1888 pencil sketch of Thomas Moran on behalf of his father. For additional sketches see: See GA*16660, GA*16661 and GA*16662.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1888
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16659
catalog number
16659
accession number
119780

Portrait of Betsy Stratton

Stephen Ferris made the etching of his sister in 1876.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Stephen Ferris made the etching of his sister in 1876.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1876
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16644
catalog number
16644
accession number
119780

Portrait of Elizabeth M. Ferris

Signed 1906 portrait in pencil of Ferris’s granddaughter, the child of his son Gerome and wife Annette, Elizabeth Moran FerrisCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
Signed 1906 portrait in pencil of Ferris’s granddaughter, the child of his son Gerome and wife Annette, Elizabeth Moran Ferris
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1906
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16652
catalog number
16652
accession number
119780

Portrait of "Señorita Paula Gadea Iniesta"

An unsigned pencil drawing marked "Señorita Paula Gadea Iniesta, Granada (Spain) 1881."Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
An unsigned pencil drawing marked "Señorita Paula Gadea Iniesta, Granada (Spain) 1881."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1881
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16669
catalog number
16669
accession number
119780

Portrait of Eunice

Signed and dated pencil drawing of Stephen Ferris’s sister Eunice made in 1883Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Signed and dated pencil drawing of Stephen Ferris’s sister Eunice made in 1883
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1883
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16643
catalog number
16643
accession number
119780

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