Samuel Finley Breese Morse

American inventor and painter (1791–1872)

† 1872 · Artists · Painter in the permanent collections of Smithsonian American Art Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, National Gallery of Art, National Portrait Gallery (Smithsonian), Museum of Fine Arts Boston; cross-wiki notability: 92 language Wikipedias

In the collections of

Smithsonian American Art Museum · Metropolitan Museum of Art · Art Institute of Chicago · National Gallery of Art · National Portrait Gallery (Smithsonian) · Museum of Fine Arts Boston

License & source

Public domain · Wikidata

Life

Samuel Finley Breese Morse was born on April 27, 1791 in Charlestown and died on April 2, 1872 in Manhattan, aged 80. Recorded occupations: inventor, physicist, sculptor, painter, university teacher and photographer. Country of citizenship: United States. Notable works include “Morse code”. Educated at Yale College and Royal Academy of Arts. Honours include Commander of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, Knight Grand Officer of the Order of the Dannebrog, Knight of the Legion of Honour, National Inventors Hall of Fame, Knight of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus and Knight of the Order of the Tower and Sword. Member of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, American Philosophical Society, American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Phi Beta Kappa Society.

At a glance

Born: April 27, 1791 · Charlestown
Died: April 2, 1872 · Manhattan
Age at death: 80
Citizenship: United States
Occupations: inventor, physicist, sculptor, painter, university teacher, photographer
Notable works: Morse code
Education: Yale College, Royal Academy of Arts
Honours: Commander of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, Knight Grand Officer of the Order of the Dannebrog, Knight of the Legion of Honour, National Inventors Hall of Fame, Knight of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, Knight of the Order of the Tower and Sword
Wikipedia editions: 92 languages
Signature licence: Public domain

About this signature

This image of Samuel Finley Breese Morse's signature comes from Wikimedia Commons (Wikidata P109 signature file). Its licence is recorded as Public domain. It is linked to the person through Wikidata property P109 (signature), which ties a documented individual to a specific archived file. We show the file as published and do not redraw or retouch it. Public-domain signature; painter deceased since 1872 (>50 yr): no copyright or right-of-publicity exposure. Works held by 6 major museums.

Biographical facts: Wikidata Q75698 (CC0), retrieved 2026-10-13. Read more about Samuel Finley Breese Morse on Wikipedia.

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