1791-1872

American Inventor and Painter

Samuel Morse was a successful portrait painter who turned to invention in midlife. He developed the electric telegraph and the communication system known as Morse Code.

Morse's education, while not offering a strong scientific background for an inventor, did influence the directions his future work would take him. He first attended Phillips Academy in Andover, where he was not considered to be a strong student. His parents then sent him to Yale. There he developed an interest in painting miniature portraits and attended lectures on electricity, which at the time was a topic that was still not understood well. After graduating, Morse traveled to England to continue studying painting.

Samuel Morse. (The Library of Congress. Reproduced by permission.)

When Morse returned from England, he earned respect as a painter. He first attempted to sell the historical canvases...