Samuel F. B. Morse papers
name: label: Creator
content: Morse, Samuel Finley Breese, 1791-1872
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by the National Academy of Design in 2018.
creator: label: Creator
content: Morse, Samuel Finley Breese, 1791-1872
setName: label: See more items in
content: Samuel F. B. Morse papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of painter and inventor Samuel F. B. Morse date from 1826-2009 (bulk 1826-1871), and measure 0.4 linear feet. This small collection documents Morse's role in the early years of the National Academy of Design through his correspondence as the academy's first president, and also includes scattered biographical material, Morse's writings and notes on art from that period, printed material including clippings about Morse and an exhibition catalog, eight photographs, including one of Morse, and a microfilm reel of one of Morse's sketchbooks.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Portrait painter and inventor Samuel Finley Breese Morse (1791-1872), was a founding member of the National Academy of Design who was subsequently known for his invention of the Morse code.

Morse was born in Massachusetts and educated at Yale College. In 1811 he traveled to England and was admitted to the Royal Academy. He returned to the United States in 1815 and began a career as a painter, primarily of portraits. 

From 1826-1845 he served as president of the newly founded National Academy of Design in New York City. In the 1830s Morse developed the concept of a single-wire telegraph and the Morse code, and was involved in the growth of the commercial use of telegraphy throughout the world. Morse was also known for his portraits of the Marquis de Lafayette, and presidents John Adams and James Monroe.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.4 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1826-2009
label: Date
content: bulk 1826-1871
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.morsesam
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Due to its small size the collection is arranged as one series.

Series 1: Samuel F. B. Morse Papers, 1826-2009 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed and described in a finding aid by Stephanie Ashley in 2018, and digitized in 2019, with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: The bulk of the collection was digitized in 2019 and is available on the Archives of American Art website. Materials which have not been digitized include blank pages, blank versos of photographs, duplicates, and the microfilm reel. Morse's published book has had only the cover, title pages, and table of contents pages digitized.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of painter and inventor Samuel F. B. Morse date from 1826-2009 (bulk 1826-1871), and measure 0.4 linear feet. This small collection documents Morse's role in the early years of the National Academy of Design through his correspondence as the academy's first president, and also includes scattered biographical material, Morse's writings and notes on art from that period, printed material including clippings about Morse and an exhibition catalog, eight photographs, including one of Morse, and a microfilm reel of one of Morse's sketchbooks.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: The bulk of Samuel F. B. Morse's papers are held by the Library of Congress.